DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS DEAS  769 
Second  Edition  
2017-mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS DEAS  769: 2017 
© UNBS 2017 
   
Fortified edible fats and oils  — Specification  
 
 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDUS DEAS 769: 2017  
ii                © UNBS  2016 - 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 2017 
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. 
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The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
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 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDUS DEAS 769: 2017 
© UNBS  2017 - All rights reserved                iii National foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327, of the Laws of Uganda, as amended.  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 Agreement 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 Draft Uganda Standard, DUS DEAS 769:2017 , Fortified edible fats and oils  — Specification , is identical 
with and has been reproduced from an International Standard, ISO 769:2017 , Fortified edible fats and oils 
products  — Specification , and is being proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard. 
This standard cancels and replaces the first edition US EAS 769: 2012, which has been technically revised. 
This standard was developed by Food and agriculture Standards Technical Committee (UNBS/TC 2).  
Wherever the words, “ East African Standard " appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard." DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW
 DEAS 769: 2017  
ICS 67.200.10  
 
© EAC 2017                                                                                                                        Second Edition 2017 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
Fortified edible fats and oils — Specification 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDEAS 769: 2017  
ii © EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice 
This EAC document is copyright-protected by the 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 2017  — All rights reserved 
East African Community 
P.O. Box 1096, 
Arusha 
Tanzania 
Tel: + 255 27 2162100 
Fax: + 255 27 2162190 
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 prosecuted. DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDEAS 769: 2017  
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents Page 
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................  iv 
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... v  
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ............................................................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 3 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  3 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  3 
5 Fortification requir ements ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 4 
5.1 Levels of vitamin A  ................................ ................................ ................................................................  4 
5.2 Fortificants  ................................................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 5 
6 Food add itives  ................................................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 5 
8 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 6 
9 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 6 
10 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 6 
10.1  General labelling  ................................ ................................................................ ................................ .... 6 
10.2  Labelling exemptions  ................................ ................................ ............................................................  6 
10.3  Labelling  prohibition  ................................ ................................ .............................................................  7 
10.4  Nutrition labelling  ................................ ................................................................ ................................ .. 7 
10.5  Nutrition and health claims  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 7 
11 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 7 
Annex A (informative)  Fortificant at factory level ..........................................................................................  8 
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................................ 9  
 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDEAS 769: 2017  
iv © EAC 2017  – 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.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee (EASC) mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards (EAS).  The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
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 Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards. 
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 .  
The committee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EASC/TC 018, Nutrition and Foods for 
Special Dietary Uses . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. 
This second edition cancels and replaces the first 2012 edition (EAS 769: 2012), which has been technically 
revised. DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDEAS 769: 2017  
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction 
The Health Ministers of the East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA-HC) Health Community passed a 
resolution in 2002 directing the Secretariat to work with the countries to fortify commonly consumed foods in 
the region after recognizing the high levels of malnutrition in the region. ECSA-HC is an intergovernmental 
organization that fosters cooperation in health among countries in the East, Central and Southern African 
Region. It has 10 active member states namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, 
Lesotho, Swaziland, Mauritius and Seychelles. The mandate of the organization is to promote relevance and 
efficiency in health in the region. 
Following initial promotion efforts, the countries identified staple foods suitable for fortification as oil, sugar, 
maize meal/ flour and wheat flour. These foods can be used as vehicles to deliver essential micronutrients to 
the populations. Based on scientific evidence and working with countries using country data, the Secretariat 
developed implementation focused guidelines on fortification of these foods to help countries start up 
programs and scale up the existing programs. These guidelines included fortification levels for addition of 
micronutrients at the factory, and levels for monitoring at commercial level. 
Based on the guidelines and other available information, most of the countries in the East African Region and 
in the larger Africa have initiated national programs on oil fortification with vitamin A; and wheat flour, maize 
meal/ maize flour fortification with iron, zinc, folic acid, niacin, vitamin B-1, B-2 and B-12 and vitamin A. Sugar 
fortification with vitamin A has also been considered as a way of supplementing other sources of the vitamin in 
order to prevent and reduce problems associated with the deficiency of this vitamin. Fats and oils are 
considered to be some of the most cost effective, technically feasible and widely used vehicle for vitamins A, 
D and E because the three vitamins are fat soluble and fats and oils, to a greater extent, are centrally 
processed. Vegetable fats and oils are also consumed by nearly by everyone. Salt fortification with iodine 
continues to be implemented in all the countries. 
With the increased trade of food commodities including these fortified foods within the region, it has become 
imperative to develop regional standards that over and above the other standards, stipulate minimum and 
maximum levels of the added nutrients, provide clauses on how to pack the fortified product and the use of 
health and nutrition claims. The guidelines developed through ECSA have now been incorporated into food 
standards to provide for specific fortified products. 
It is envisaged that, the adoption of these standards and their utilization within the region will help countries 
adopt food fortification as a strategy to prevent, alleviate or eliminate micronutrient deficiency in the region. 
Standards will not only promote the health of the population but will also ensure safety of food products and 
enhance fair trade. 
This standard was developed with support from the East, Central and Southern African Health community 
(ECSA-HC) Secretariat. This was possible through a grant by the A2Z Project of the United States Agency for 
International Development (USAID). The financial and technical support was used in the process of 
formulation of fortification levels, development of the draft standards and mobilization of stakeholders to 
review the standard in national and regional fora. This support is hereby acknowledged. DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEWDRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 769: 2017  
 
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  1 
 Fortified edible fats and oils — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and tests methods for fortified edible 
fats and oils intended for human consumption. 
This Draft East African Standard is not applicable to fat spreads and blended spreads. 
2 Normative references 
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements 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. 
AOAC 952.13, Arsenic in food. Silver diethyldithiocarbamate 
AOAC 2001.13 , Determination of Vitamin A (Retinol)in Food  
CODEX STAN 192, General standard for food additives 
CODEXSTAN 193, General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed 
EAS 38, Labelling of pre-packaged foods — Specification 
EAS 39, Code of practice for hygiene the food and drink manufacturing industry 
EAS 803 , Nutrition labelling — Requirements 
EAS 804, Claims on food — General requirements  
EAS 805, Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
ISO 660, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of acid value and acidity  
ISO 661, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Preparation of test sample 
ISO 662, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of moisture and volatile matter content  
ISO 663, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of insoluble impurities content 
ISO 3960, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of peroxide value — Iodometric (visual) 
endpoint determination 
ISO 5555, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Sampling 
ISO 8294, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of copper, iron and nickel contents —  
ISO 10539, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of alkalinity DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW 
2 © EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  
 ISO 12193 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of lead by direct graphite furnace atomic 
absorption spectroscopy 
ISO 15304, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of the content of trans fatty acid isomers of 
vegetable fats and oils-Gas chromatographic method  
ISO 17189 , Butter, edible oil emulsions and spreadable fats — Determination of fat content (Reference 
method)  
ISO 20633 , Infant formula and adult nutritionals -- Determination of vitamin E and vitamin A by normal phase 
high performance liquid chromatography  
ISO 27107, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of peroxide value — Potentiometric end-point 
determination 
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply. 
3.1 
edible fats and oils 
foodstuffs which are composed of glycerides of fatty acids of vegetable, animal or marine origin. They may 
contain small amounts of other lipids such as phosphatides, unsaponifiable constituents and free fatty acids 
naturally present in the fat or oil 
3.2 
virgin fats and oils 
edible oil obtained without altering the nature of oil by mechanical procedures for example expelling or 
pressing, and the application of heat only. It may have been purified by washing with water, settling, filtering 
and centrifuging only 
3.3 
non–virgin (refined) fats and oils 
fats and oils obtained by mechanical procedures and/or solvent extraction and subjected to refining processes 
to adopt it specially for use in food products 
3.4 
cold pressed fats and oils 
edible vegetable fats and oils obtained, without altering the oil, by mechanical procedures, e.g. expelling or 
pressing, without the application of heat. They may have been purified by washing with water, settling, filtering 
and centrifuging only 
3.5 
edible vegetable fat 
foodstuffs which are composed primarily of glycerides of fatty acids being obtained only from vegetabl e 
sources. They may contain small amounts of other lipids such as phosphatides, unsaponifiable constituents 
and of free fatty acids naturally present in the oil.  
3.6 
blended fats and oils 
mixture of two or more fats and/or oils of plant and/or animal origin 
3.7 
refined fats and oils 
edible fats and oils obtained by mechanical procedures and/or solvent extraction and subjected to refining 
processes to adopt it specially for use in food products DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW 
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  3 
 3.8 
fortified edible fats and oils 
edible fats and oils containing added micronutrients in accordance with this standard 
3.9 
fortificant 
compound which contains the specified micronutrient intended to be added to a food vehicle 
3.10 
food fortification 
practice of deliberately adding essential micronutrients in a food to improve the nutritional quality of the food 
and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health 
3.11 
food grade material 
material, made of substances that 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 Requirements 
4.1 General requirements 
Fortified edible fats and oils shall be: 
a) free from foreign and/or rancid odour and/or taste; and 
b) characteristic colour of designated product. 
4.2 Specific requir ements  
Fortified edible fats and oils shall comply with requirements given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with 
the methods specified therein. 
Table 1 — Specific requirements for fortified edible fats and oils 
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test metho d 
i.  Fat content, % by mass, min.  99.5 ISO 17189  
ii.  Moisture and matter volatile at 105 ˚C, % 
m/m, max  0.2 ISO 662  
iii.  Acid value, mg KOH/g , 
max.  Non virgin  0.6 
ISO 660  Virgin  4 
Cold pressed  4 
iv.  Peroxide value, m Eq. 
Peroxide oxygen/kg, 
max.  Non virgin  10 
ISO 3960  Virgin  15 
Cold pressed  15 
 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW 
4 © EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  
 5 Fortification requirements 
5.1 Levels of vitamin A 
The fortified edible oil or fat shall conform to the requirements and the levels of vitamin A provided in Table 2. DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW 
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  5 
 Table 2 — Requirements for Vitamin A in fortified edible oil or fat 
Nutrient  Fortificant 
compound  Limit  
mg/kg  Test method  
Min. Max.  
Vitamin A  Vitamin A (Retinyl) 
palmitate  20 40 ISO 20633  
AOAC 2001.13  
 
5.2 Fortificants 
Vitamin A shall be added in the form of stabilized vitamin A compound such as vitamin A palmitate 1.7 m IU/g 
or 1.0 m IU/g. 
Note One International Units (IU) of Vitamin A= 0.33 micrograms Retinol Equivalent 
6 Food additives 
Fortified edible fats and oils may contain food additives in accordance with CODEX STAN 192. 
7 Contaminants 
7.1 Pesticide residues 
The maximum levels of pesticide residues in fortified edible fats and oil shall comply with the levels 
recommended by Codex Alimentarius Commission 
7.2 Other contaminants 
Fortified edible fats and oils shall comply with those maximum limits specified in Table 3 when tested in 
accordance with the methods specified therein. 
Table 3 — Limits for contaminants in fortified edible fat and oils 
S/N Contaminant  Maximum level  Test method  
i.  Insoluble impurities, % m/m  0.05 ISO 663  
ii.  Soap content, % m/m  0.005  ISO 10539  
iii.  Iron, mg/kg  Virgin  5 
ISO 8294  Non virgin  2.5 
Cold pressed  5 
iv.  Copper, mg/kg  Virgin  0.4 
Non virgin  0.1 
Cold pressed  0.4 
v.  Lead, mg/kg  0.1 ISO 12193  
vi.  Arsenic, mg/kg  0.1 AOAC 952.13  
 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW 
6 © EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  
 8 Hygiene 
Fortified edible fats and oils shall be produced, processed, handled and stored in accordance with EAS 39. 
9 Weights and measures 
Fortified edible fats and oils  shall be package d in accordance with the weights and measures regulations of 
the destination country.  
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. 
10 Labelling 
10.1 General labelling 
In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, the following specific provisions apply: 
a) the name of the product shall be fortified edible ‘X’ fat or ‘X’ oil or blended ‘X’ fat or blended ‘X’ oil 
where “X” is the word vegetable or animal or name of such vegetable or animal;  
b) the words “cold pressed”, “virgin”, “non -virgin” or “refined” shall be declared on the label to indicate the 
type of oil or fat; 
c) where vegetable fat has been subject to any process of esterification or to processing which alters its 
fatty acid composition or its consistency, the name of the product or any synonym shall not be used 
unless qualified to indicate the nature of the product; 
d) date marking shall be declared in the following manner “best before"  
e) instructions on disposal of used package shall be declared; 
f) each product unit may also be marked with the national food fortification Logo, where the industry 
qualifies to use the mark; and 
g) storage instructions, keep away from direct sunlight. 
10.2 Labelling exemptions 
The following exceptions shall apply: 
a) the product shall be designated in accordance with the laws of the community and in manner so as to 
not mislead the consumer about the nature of the product; and 
b) the labelling of non-retail containers is restricted to outer containers for a number of pre-packaged 
foods only and shall appear in the following manner: 
1) the name of the product;  
2) lot identification; and 
3) the name and physical address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the container.  DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW 
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  7 
 10.3 Labelling prohibition 
Fortified edible fats and oils consisting of fats and/or oils of animal origin or marine origin shall not be labelled 
as vegetable fats or oils. 
10.4 Nutrition labelling 
The amount of vitamin A in the fortified fat or oil shall be declared on the label in accordance with EAS 803. 
10.5 Nutrition and health claims 
Fortified edible fats and oils may have claims on the importance of the vitamin A in nutrition and health. Such 
claims when declared shall be consistent with EAS 804 and EAS 805. 
11 Sampling 
Sampling and sample preparation for testing shall be carried out in accordance with ISO 5555 and ISO 661 
respectively. 
 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW 
8 © EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  
 Annex A 
(informative)  
 
Fortificant at factory level 
A.1 For Vitamin A, the recommended factory level, should be 35 ± 5 mg/kg 
A.2 Fortificant for use shall be stable compounds conforming to specifications in any of the following 
documents: 
a) British Pharmacopoeia (BP); 
b) Food Chemical Codex (FCC); 
c) Merck Index (MI); 
d) United States National Formulary (NF); 
e) European Pharmacopoeia (Ph Eur); 
f) United States Pharmacopoeia (USP); and 
g) Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). 
 DRAFT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW 
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  9 
 Bibliograp hy 
[1] CODEX STAN 19, Codex Standard for Edible Fats and Oils Not Covered By Individual Standards  
[2] ECSA-HC, Guidelines of fortification levels for staples  
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© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved