FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
 FDUS 1504  
First Edition  
2013-mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS 1504 :2013 
©UNBS 2013 
  
Fresh Creole onions — Specification  
 FDUS 1504 : 2013 
ii © UNBS 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 appl ication  
© UNBS 201 3  
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Uganda  
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 FDUS 1504 :2013 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  iii 
 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.  UNBS is mandated to co -ordinate th e 
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 Tra de 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, acade micians, 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.  
Committee membership  
The following organisations were represented under the Fruits and vegetables sub -committee of the Food and 
Agriculture Standards Technical C ommittee, UNBS/TC 2, during the development of this standard:  
 Federation of Uganda Exporters Association  
 Government Analytical Laboratory  
 Horticulture Exports Association of Uganda  
 Ministry of Agriculture, Animal industry and Fisheries  
 Ministry of Trade , Industry  and Coop eratives  
 National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda  
 Sulma Foods Ltd  
 Uganda National Farmers Federation  
 Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
 Uganda Consumer Protection Association  
 FINAL  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  FDUS 1504 : 2013 
 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  1 
 Fresh Creole onions  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Final Draft Uganda S tandard specif ies requirements for  Creole onions of varieties (cultivars) grown from 
Allium cepa L.  to be supplied to th e consumer in the natural state .  
This standard does not specify requirements for Creole onions for industrial processin g. 
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.  
US 7, General standard for labelling of pre -packaged foods  
US 28, Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry   
US 738,  General standard for contaminants and toxins in foods  
CAC/RCP 44, Recommended internat ional code of practice for packaging and transport of fresh fruits and 
vegetables  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
3.1 
badly misshapen  
onion that is so decidedly deformed that its a ppearance is seriously  affected  
3.2 
bottlenecks  
onions which have thick necks, usually with poorly developed bulbs  
3.3 
doubles  
onions which have developed more than one distinct bulb joined only at the  base  
3.4 
damage  
any specific defect described in Annex  A; or an equally objectionable variation  of any one of these defects, 
any other defect, or any combination of defects, which materially  detracts from the appearance, or the edible 
or marketing quality of the onion  FDUS 1504 : 2013 
2 © UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  
 3.5 
serious damage  
any specific defect de scribed Annex A ; or an equally objectionable variation of any one of these defects, any 
other defect, or any combination of defects, which seriously detracts from the appearance or the edible or 
marketing quality of the onion  
3.6 
diameter  
the greatest dime nsion measured at right angles to a straight line running from  the stem to the root  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General quality requirements  
Fresh Creole onions shall be of a colour, flavour and ta ste appropriate for the species,  free of  organic and 
mineral impuri ties, free, as far as possible  from damage caused by  disease and  insects .  
4.2 Specific  quality requirements  
4.2.1  In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the bulb 
shall be: 
a) intact;  
b) sound; produce affec ted by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is 
excluded ; 
c) clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter ; 
d) free from damage due to frost ; 
e) sufficiently dry for the intended use (in the case of pickling onions, at least the first two outer skins and 
the stem must be fully dried) ; 
f) without hollow or tough stems ; 
g) practically free from pests ; 
h) practically free from damages caused by pests ; 
i) free of abnormal external moisture ; 
j) free of any foreign smell and/or taste ; and  
k) the stems  shall be twisted or clean cut and shall not exceed 6 cm in length (except for stringed 
onions).  
4.2.2  The development and condition of the onions shall be such as to enable them:  
a) withstand transport and handling, and  
b) arrive in satisfactory condition at the p lace of destination.  FDUS 1504 : 2013 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  3 
 5 Classification  
5.1 General  
Fresh Creole  onions  may be classified in three  classes namely  
 Class I,  
 Class II , and 
 Combination  class.  
5.2 Class I  
5.2.1 Onions in this class  consists of Creole onions of good quality  and similar varietal characteristics 
which are mature, fairly  well shaped, free from soft rot, doubles, bottlenecks, and from damage caused by 
splits,  seedstems, tops, roots, moisture, sunburn, sunscald, cuts, staining, dirt or other foreign matter,  
diseases, insects, or mecha nical or other means.  
The bulbs shall be: 
 firm and compact ; 
 unsprouted (free from externally visible shoots) ; 
 free from swelling caused by abnormal vegetative development ; and  
 practically free of root tufts; however, for onions harvested before complete m aturity, root tufts are 
allowed.  
5.2.2 The following defects, however, may be allowed, provided they do not affect the general appearance of 
the produce, the quality, the keeping quality or presentation in the package:  
 a slight defect in shape ; 
 a slight de fect in colouring ; 
 light staining which does not affect the last dried skin protecting the flesh, provided it does not cover 
more than one fifth of the bulb’s surface ; and  
 superficial cracks in, and partial absence of the outer skins, provided the flesh is  protected.  
5.3 Class II  
5.3.1 Onions in this class consists of Creole onions of similar varietal characteristics which are not badly  
misshapen and are free from soft rot, doubles, bottlenecks, and from damage caused by splits,  moisture, 
sunscald, and from  serious damage caused by seedstems, tops, roots, cuts, staining, dirt  or other foreign 
matter, diseases, insects, or mechanical or other means.  
5.3.2 The following defects may be allowed provided the onions retain their essential characteristics as 
regar ds the quality, the keeping quality and presentation:  
a) defect in shape ; 
b) defect in colouring ; FDUS 1504 : 2013 
4 © UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  
 c) early evidence of externally visible shoot growth (no more than 10 % by number or weight by unit of 
presentation) ; 
d) traces due to rubbing ; 
e) slight marking caused by p arasites or disease ; 
f) small healed cracks ; 
g) slight bruising, healed, unlikely to impair keeping qualities ; 
h) root tufts ; 
i) stains which do not affect the last dried skin protecting the flesh, provided they do not cover more than 
half the bulb’s surface ; and  
j) cracks in the outer skins and partial absence of over a maximum of one third of the bulb’s surface, 
provided the flesh is not damaged.  
5.4 Combination  class  
A lot of Creole onions may be designated "Combination" when not  less than 50 %, by weight, of the onion s in 
each container meet the requirements of Class I  and the remainder  Class II . 
5.5 Unclassified  
This class c onsists of Creole  onions which have not been classified in accordance with any of the foregoing 
grades.  
NOTE The term "unclassified" is not a grad e within the meaning of this standard but is provided as a designation to 
show that no grade has been applied to the lot.  
6 Provisions concerning sizing  
Size is determined by the maximum diameter of the equatorial section.  Unless otherwise specified, onion s in 
Class I shall have a minimum size  of 4.2 cm  in diameter  while those in Class II shall have a minimum of 3.8 
cm in diameter.  
7 Provisions concerning tolerances  
7.1 General  
In order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and handling in each  of the foregoing  grades, the 
tolerances  7.2 and 7.2 , by weight, are provided . 
7.2 Quality tolerances  
7.2.1 Class I and Class II  
10 %  for onions in any lot which fail to meet the  requirements of the specified grade, including therein not 
more than 2 % for onions which  are water  soaked or affected by soft rot.  FDUS 1504 : 2013 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  5 
 7.2.2 Combination Class   
10 %  for onions in any lot which fail to meet the  requirements of Class II  grade, including therein not more 
than 2 % for onions which are  water -soaked or affected by soft rot.  No part of any tolerance shall be allowed 
to reduce for the  lot as a whole the percentage of Class I  onions required in the combination, but individual  
containers may have not more than a total of 15 percentage points less than the percentage of  Class I  onions 
required  provided t hat the entire lot averages within the percentage  required.  
7.3 Size tolerances  
5 % for onions in any lot which are below the specified minimum size and 15 % for onions which are larger 
than any specified maximum size.  
7.4 Toleranc es for packages in any lot  
7.4.1 For a tolerance of 10 % or more, not more than one -tenth of the packages in any lot may contain 
more than one and one -half times the tolerance specified , provided, that soft rot in any package shall not 
exceed three times t he to lerance ; and provided further, t hat the average for the entire lot is within the 
tolerance specified for the grade.  
7.4.2 For a tolerance of less than 10 %, not more than one -tenth of the packages in any lot may contain 
more than double the tolerance specified , provided , that soft rot in any package shall not exceed three times 
the tolerance and that at least one defective and one off -size specimen may be permitted in any package: And 
provided further , that the average for the entire lot is within the tolerance specified for the grade.  
8 Provisions concerning presentation  
8.1 Uniformity  
8.1.1 The contents of each package (or lot, for produce presented in bulk) shall be uniform and contain only 
Creole onions of the same origin, variety, quality and size.  
8.1.2 However, sales packages, of a net weight not exceeding three kilogram s, may contain mixtures of 
onions of different colours, provided that they are uniform in quality, and, for each colour concerned, in origin, 
variety and size.  
8.1.3 The visible pa rt of the contents of the package (or lot, for produce presented in bulk) shall be 
representative of the entire contents.  
8.1.4 The contents of each package shall be uniform and contain only fresh Creole onions  of the same 
origin, variety, and quality. The  visible part of the contents of the package shall be representative of the entire 
contents.  
8.2 Packaging  
8.2.1 Fresh Creole onions  shall be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly.  
8.2.2 The materials used inside the package shall be of food grade quality such as to avoid causing any 
external or internal damage to the produce during handling. The use of materials, particularly of paper or 
stamps bearing trade specifications is allowed, provided the printing or labelling has been done with  non-toxic 
ink or glue.  
8.2.3 Fresh Creole onions  shall be packed in each container in compliance with CAC/RCP 44.  
8.2.4 Packages shall be free of all foreign matter.  FDUS 1504 : 2013 
6 © UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  
 8.3 Presentation  
Onions may be presented  as below : 
(a) arranged in layers ; 
(b) loose in a package  (including bulk bins) ; 
(c) transported in bulk ; 
(d) in strings ; 
(e) either of a certain number of bulbs, in which case the strings shall contain at least six onions (with fully 
dried stems) ; or 
(f) of a certain net weight.  
9 Hygiene  
Fresh Creole onions shall be produced and handled in accordance with US 28 .  
10 Contaminants  
10.1 Pesticide residues  
Fresh Creole onions  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex  
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity . 
10.2 Heavy metals  
Fresh Creole onions shall comply with those maximum levels for heavy as metals established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity .  
11 Weights and measures  
Containers shall be as full as practicable without impairment of quality and shall be consisten t with a proper 
declaration of contents for the product.  
12 Labelling  
Fresh Creole onions shall be labelled in accordance with the requirements of US 7. In addition the following 
specific provisions shall apply:  
a) name and address of exp orter, packer and/o r dispatcher and Identification code ;  
b) name of the produce  ―Creole  Onions‖ , if the contents are not visible from the outside. In the case of 
sales packages containing a mixture of different colours of Creole  onions:  ―Mixed Creole  onions ‖ or 
equivalent deno mination,   
c) name of the variety or commercial type (optional) ; 
d) name of country of origin and, optionally district where grown ; FDUS 1504 : 2013 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  7 
 e) commercial Identification ;  
f) class ;  
g) net weight ; and  
h) official inspection mark . FDUS 1504 : 2013 
8 © UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  
 Annex A  
(normative)  
 
Types of defects/damage  
The fo llowing specific defects shall be considered as damage:  
A.1 
splits 
onion which has more than one distinct bulb at least partially covered by an outer scale. Such an onion, if not 
well cured, shall be considered damaged when not completely covered by more t han one outer scale  
A.2 
tough or woody seed -stem  
more than one -fourth inch in diameter  
A.3 
sunburn  
discoloration due to exposure to the sun where there is no injury to the tissue. O nions showing slight sunburn 
shall not be regarded as damaged unless presen t in a sufficient amount to cause the lot to have a distinct ly 
greenish cast.  
A.4 
sunscald  
localized injury or death  of the tissues  caus ed by excessive sun or low temperatures. If an  onion is well dried 
and well cured and is  affected by sunscald , it shall be regarded as  damaged except when the affected area is 
dry and so inconspicuous that the appearance of the  onion is not materially injured.  
A.5 
staining or dirt or foreign matter  
as a guide, a lot should be considered damaged if the appearance is affected  to a greater extent than the 
presence of 15 percent appreciably stained plus 5 percent badly stained onions . If a lot contains slightly more 
than 20 percent of appreciably stained onions and most of the lot has none or very little staining, it should not 
be considered as damaged by staining.  
The following specific defects shall be considered as serious damage:  
a) when more than 10 % of the onions in any lot are badly caked with dirt or are badly stained ; and  
b) when any Seedstem is tough or woody, or is more tha n 12.7 mm in diameter . FDUS 1504 : 2013 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  9 
 Bibliography  
[1] United States Standards for Grades of Onions (Other Than Bermuda -Granex -Grano and Creole Type), 
Effective October 10, 1995 (Reprinted — January 1997)  
[2] United States Standards for Grades of Creole Onions , Effective April 1 0, 1943 (Reprinted — January 
1997)  
[3] UNECE STANDARD FFV  25:2003, Marketing and commercial quality control of  onions  
[4] Codex Alimentarius website: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/mrls/pestdes/jsp/pest_q -e.jsp  
[5] USDA Foreign Agricultural Service website: http://w ww.mrldatabase.com  
 FDUS 1504 : 2013 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  11 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Stan dards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 FDUS 1504 : 2013   
 
ICS 67.020.20  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved