DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 755 
Second  Edition  
2013-mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS EAS 755: 2013 
© UNBS 201 3 
  
Cowpeas —  Specification  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS EAS 755: 2013 
ii                © UN BS 2013 - All rights reserved 
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2013 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to 
The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
P.O. Box 6329 
Kampala 
Uganda 
Tel: 256 41 505 995 
Fax: 256 41 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS EAS 755: 2013 
© UNBS  2013 - All rights reserved                iii National foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and 
Industry established under Cap 3 27, of the Laws of Uganda. UNBS is mandated to co-ordinate the elaboration 
of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agreements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders. 
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council. 
This Final Draft Uganda Standard, FDUS EAS 755: 2013, Cowpeas  — Specification , is identical with  and has 
been reproduced from an East African  Standard , EAS 755: 2013 , Cowpeas  — Specification , and is being 
proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard.  
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (US EAS 755:20 11) which has been technically 
revised. 
Wherever the words, “ East African Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 
  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD FDEAS 755:2013 
ICS 67.060  
© EAS 2013                                                                                                                         First Edition 2013  
 
FINAL DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
Cowpeas — Specification 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDDRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDEAS 755:2013 
ii © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice 
This EAC document is copyright-protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards development process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community 2013  — All rights reserved 
East African Community  
P.O.Box 1096 
Arusha 
Tanzania 
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8 
Fax: 255 27 2504481/2504255 
E-mail: eac@eachq.org 
       Web: www.eac -quality.net  
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be persecuted DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDEA S 755:2013 
© EAC 2013 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents Page 
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ............................................................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  1 
4 Quality requirements ................................ ................................ .............................................................  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  2 
4.2  Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  2 
5 Contaminants  ................................................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 3 
5.1 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................................................ ................................ . 3 
5.2 Other contaminants  ................................ ................................ ...............................................................  3 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 3 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 4 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 4 
9 Sampling methods  ................................ ................................ ................................................................  5 
 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDEAS 755:2013 
iv © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
In order to achieve this objective, the Community established an East African Standards Committee mandated 
to develop and issue East African Standards.   
The Committee is composed of representatives of the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together 
with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards 
are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner States. The comments 
received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance with the procedures 
of the Community. 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
FDEAS 755:2013 was prepared by Technical Committee EAS/TC 014 , Cereals, Pulses and related products  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDEA S 755:2013 
© EAC 2013 – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction 
This standard has been developed to take into account: 
a) the needs of the market for the product;  
b) the need to facilitate fair domestic, regional and international trade and prevent technical barriers to 
trade by establishing a common trading language for buyers and sellers; 
c) the structure of the CODEX, UNECE, USA, ISO and other internationally significant standards; 
d) the needs of the producers in gaining knowledge of market standards, conformity assessment, 
commercial cultivars and crop production process; 
e) the need to transport the product in a manner that ensures keeping of quality until it reaches the 
consumer; 
f) the need for the plant protection authority to certify, through a simplified form, that the product is fit for 
cross-border and international trade without carrying plant disease vectors; 
g) the need to promote good agricultural practices that will enhance wider market access, involvement of 
small-scale traders and hence making farming a viable means of wealth creation; and 
h) the need to ensure a reliable production base of consistent and safe crops that meet customer 
requirements. 
 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDDRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFINAL  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  FDEAS 755:2013 
 
© EAC 2013 – All rights reserved  1 
 Cowpeas — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Final Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test for dry 
cowpeas of the varieties (cultivars) grown from Vigna unguiculata  Linn.Sync. Vigna sinensis (L.) Hassk. 
intended for human consumption.  
2 Normative references 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies. 
EAS 38, Labelling of pre-packaged foods — Specification 
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice 
EAS 79, Cereals and pulses as grain — Methods of sampling 
EAS 217, Methods for the microbiological examination of foods  
ISO 605, Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and variety — Test 
methods 
ISO 13690, Cereals, pulses and milled products — Sampling of static batches 
ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B 1, and the total content of aflatoxin B 1, B2, G 1 and G 2 in 
cereals, nuts and derived products  — High performance liquid chromatographic method 
ISO 24557, Pulses — Determination of moisture conte nt — Air-oven method 
CODEX Stan 193, Codex general Standards for contaminants and toxins in Food and Feed 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
3.1 
cowpeas 
dry mature seeds of Vigna unguiculata  L. 
3.2 
broken  
pieces of cowpeas that are less than three-quarters the size of a whole seed DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD 
2 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 3.3 
damaged 
whole or broken cowpeas that are sprouted, frost damaged, heated, damaged by insects, distinctly 
deteriorated or discoloured by weather or by disease, or that are otherwise 
3.4 
shrivelled  
cowpeas which are under-developed and wrinkled over their entire surface excluding wrinkled chick peas  
3.5 
split  
broken pieces of cowpeas that are less than three-quarters of the whole seed, and cotyledons that are loosely 
held together by the seed coat 
3.6 
foreign matter 
extraneous matter than cowpeas or other food grains comprising of: 
a) "inorganic matter" includes metallic pieces, shale, glass, dust, sand, gravel, stones, dirt, pebbles, 
lumps or earth, clay, mud and animal filth etc; and 
b) "organic matter" consisting of detached seed coats, straws, weeds and other inedible grains etc. 
3.7 
poisonous, toxic and/or harmful seeds 
seeds which if present in quantities above permissible limit may have damaging or dangerous effect on health, 
organoleptic properties or technological performance such as Jimson weed — datura ( D. fastuosa  Linn and D. 
stramonium  Linn.) corn cokle ( Agrostemma githago  L., Machai Lallium remulenum  Linn.) Akra (Vicia species) , 
Argemone mexicana , Khesari and other seeds that are commonly recognized as harmful to health 
3.8 
food grade material 
packaging material, made of substances which are safe and suitable for their intended use and which will not 
impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product 
4 Quality requirements 
4.1 General requirements 
Cowpeas shall be: 
a) the dried mature grains of Vigna unguiculata  Linn; 
b) well-filled, clean, wholesome, uniform in size, and shape; 
c) free from substances which render them unfit for human or animal consumption or processing into or 
utilisation thereof as food or feed; 
d) free from abnormal flavours, musty, sour or other undesirable odour, obnoxious smell and 
discolouration; and 
e) free from micro-organisms and substances originating from micro-organisms, fungi or other poisonous 
or deleterious substances in amounts that may constitute a hazard to human health. 
4.2  Specific requirements 
Cowpeas shall be categorised into three grades on the basis of the tolerable limits established in Table 1.  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD 
© EAC 2013 – All rights reserved  3 
 Table 1 — Specific requirements 
S/N Characteristics  Maximum limits  Method of test  
Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
i)  Foreign matter, % m/m  0.2 0.6 1.0 
ISO 605  ii)  Inorganic matter, % m/m  0.1 0.5 0.75 
iii)  Broken/split grains, % m/m  1 2 3 
iv)  Pest damaged g rains, % m/m  2 3 6 
v)  Rotten and diseased grains, % 
m/m 0.5 0.5 1 
vi)  Discoloured grains, % m/m  1 1 3 
vii)  Immature/ shrivelled grains, % 
m/m 1 2 3 
viii)  Filth, % m/m  0.1 
ix)  Total d efective  grains, % m/m  2 4 5 
x)  Moisture, % m/m  14 ISO 24557  
xi)  Total Aflatoxin 
(AFB1+AFB 2+AFG 1 +AFG 2), 
ppb  10 
ISO 16050  
xii)  Aflatoxin B 1, ppb  5 
xiii)  Fumonisin ppm  2 AOAC 2001.04  
NOTE:  The parameter, Total defective grains is not the sum total of the individual defects. It is 
limited to 70  % of the sum total of individual defects . 
5 Contaminants 
5.1 Pesticide residues 
Cowpeas shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for this commodity.  
NOTE: Where the use of certain pesticides is prohibited by some Partner States, it should be notified to all Partner 
States accordingly. 
5.2 Other contaminants 
Cowpeas shall comply with those maximum limits for other contaminants established in CODEX STAN 193. 
6 Hygiene 
6.1 Cowpeas  shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with the provisions of appropriate 
sections of EAS 39  
6.2 When tested by appropriate standards of sampling and examination listed in Clause 2, the products 
shall: 
a) be free from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard to health and shall not exceed 
the limits stipulated in Table 2; DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD 
4 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 b)  be free from parasites which may represent a hazard to health; and 
c) not contain any substance originating from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard 
to health. 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits 
S/N Type of micro -organism  Limits  Test method  
i)  Yeasts and moulds, cfu per g max.  104 
EAS 217  
 ii) Staphylococcus  aureus , cfu per g  max.  103   
iii) Escherichia  coli, per g  Absent  
iv) Salmonell a, per 25 g  Absent  
7 Packaging 
7.1 Cowpeas shall be packed in suitable packages which shall be clean, sound, free from insect, fungal 
infestation and the pack aging material shall be food grade. 
7.2 Cowpeas shall be packed in containers which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, technological and 
organoleptic qualities of the products. 
7.3 Each package shall contain cowpeas of the same type and of the same grade designation. 
7.4  If cowpeas are presented in bags, the bags shall also be free of pests and contaminants. 
7.5 Each package shall be securely closed and sealed. 
8 Labelling 
In addition to the requirements in EAS 38, each package shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the 
following: 
a) product name as ― Cowpeas ‖; 
b) variety;  
c) grade; 
d) name, address and physical location of the producer/ packer/importer; 
e) lot/batch/code number; 
f) net weight, in k ilograms; 
NOTE EAC Partner States are signatory to the International Labour Organizations (ILO) for maximum package 
weight of 50 kg where human loading and offloading is involved. 
g) the declaration ―Food for Human Consumption’’ ; 
h) storage instruction as ―Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
i) crop year; 
j) packing date; DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD 
© EAC 2013 – All rights reserved  5 
 k) instructions on disposal of used package; 
l) country of origin; and 
m) a declaration on whether the cowpeas were genetically modified or not. 
9 Sampling methods 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the EAS 79/ISO 13690. DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDDRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDEAS 755:2013    
 
© EAC 2013 – All rights reserved