FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 769 
First  Edition  
2012-mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS EAS 769: 2012 
© UNBS 201 2 
  
Fortified edible oils and fats  — Specification  
 FDUS EAS 769: 2012 
ii                © UNBS  2012 - 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 correc t application  
© UNBS 20 12 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
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 FDUS EAS 769: 2012 
© UNBS  2012 - 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 327, of the Laws of Uganda. UNBS is mandated to co -ordin ate 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 Wor ld 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 769: 2012, Fortified edible oils and fats — Specification , is 
identical with  and has been reproduced from an East Afri can Standard, EAS 769: 2012, Fortified edible oils 
and fats— Specification , and is being proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard.  
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."  
 
 
   FDEAS 769: 2012 
 
© EAC  2012  — All rights reserved   1 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINAL DRAFT EAST AFRICA N STANDARD  
 
Fortified edible oils and fats  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  FDEAS 769: 2012  
2  © EAC 2012  — All rights reserved  
  FDEAS 769:2012  
© EAC  2012  — All rights reserved   ii 
 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  2012 — 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  
 
 FDEAS 769:201 2 
© EAC 2012  — All rights reserved   iii 
  
Contents  
Contents  
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  IV 
Introduction  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  V 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
4 Quality requirements and essential composition  ................................ ................................ ..... 2 
5 Fortification requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  3 
6  Food additives ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  4 
7 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  4 
8 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  4 
9 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 4 
10 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  5 
11 Methods of sampling ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  6 
12 Methods of test ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  6 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  7 
 FDEAS 769:201 2 
iv  © EAC 2012  — All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Developme nt of the East African Standard  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 which are encountered when 
goods and services are exchanged within the Community will be removed.  
 
In order to meet the above objectives, the EAC Partner States have enacted an East African 
Standardization,  Quality Assurance, Metrology and Testing Act, 2006 (EAC SQMT Act, 2006) to make 
provisions for ensuring  standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing of products 
produced or originating in a third country  and traded in the Commun ity in order to facilitate industrial 
development and trade as well as helping to protect the health and safety of society and the 
environment in the Community.  
 
East African Standards are formulated in accordance with the procedures established by the Eas t 
African  Standards Committee. The East African Standards Committee is established under the 
provisions of Article 4  of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006. The Committee is composed of representatives of 
the National Standards  Bodies in Partner States, together with t he 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 fin alization of  standards, in accordance with the procedures of the 
Community.  
 
Article 15(1) of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006 provides that ―Within six months of the declaration of an 
East African  Standard, the Partner States shall adopt, without deviation from the  approved text of the 
standard, the East  African Standard as a national standard and withdraw any existing national 
standard with similar scope and  purpose‖.  
 
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.  
 
© East African Community 2012 — 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.each.org  
 FDEAS 769:201 2 
© EAC 2012  — All rights reserved   v 
 Introduction  
 
The Health Ministers of the East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA) Health Community passed a 
resolution in 2002 directin g the Secretariat to work with the countries to fortify commonly consumed foods 
in th e region after recognizing the high levels of malnutrition in the region.  ECSA -HC is an inter-
governmental 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 th e 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. T hese 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 th e 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 ha s 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 a nd 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 
central ly process ed. Vegetable fats and oils are also consumed by nearly by everyone. Salt fortification 
with iodine conti nues 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 fortifi ed 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 possi ble 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 mobilizatio n of stakeholders to 
review the standard in national and regional fora. This support is hereby acknowledged.  
 FDEAS 769:2012  
© EAC  2012  — All rights reserved   1 
 FINAL DRAFT EAST AFRICAN  STANDARD  
Fortified edible oils and fats  — Specification  
 
1 Scope  
This Final draft East African Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling  and test  
for fortified edible oils and fats  intended for human consumption .   
 
This standard is not applicable to margarine and like products where other specific standards exist.   
 
2 Normative references  
The following normative documents contain provisio ns which, through reference in this text constitute 
provisions of this Standard  
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods – Specification  
EAS 39, Code of practice for hygiene the food and drink manufacturing industry  
EAS 103, General standard for  food addit ives 
CAC/GL 1, General g uidelines o n claims  
CAC/GL 2, Guidelines on nutrition labelling   
CAC/GL 23, Guidelines for use of nutrition and health claims  
CODEXSTAN 193, General s tandard for contaminants and toxin s in food and fe ed 
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 — Samp ling 
ISO 8294, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of copper, iron and nickel contents – 
Graphite furnace atomic absorption method  
ISO 10539, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of alkalinity  
ISO 15304 , Animal and vege table fats and oils — Determination of the content of trans fatty acid 
isomers of vegetable fats and oils -Gas chromatographic method  
ISO 27107 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of peroxide value  — Potentiometric 
end-point determination  
 
3 Terms and d efinitions  
For the purposes of this standard the following terms and definitions shall apply:  
 
3.1 
fats and oils  
food stuffs 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 
blended fats and oils  
mixture of two or more fats and/or oils of plant and/or animal origin  FDEAS 769:201 2 
2  © EAC 2012  — All rights reserved  
  
3.3 
virgin fats and oils  
vegetable  fats and oils obtained, by mechanical procedures, e.g. expelling or pressing, and the 
application of heat only , without alte ring the nature of the oil. They may be purified by washing with 
water, settling, filtering and centrifuging only . 
 
3.4 
cold pressed fats and oils  
edible vegetable fats and oils obtained,  without altering the oil, by mechanical procedures, e.g. 
expelling o r pressing, without the application of heat. They may have been purified by washing with 
water, settling, filtering and centrifuging only  
 
3.5 
refined fats and oils  
edible fats and oils obtained by mechanical procedures and/or solvent extraction and subjec ted to  
refining processes to adopt it spe cially for use in food products  
 
3.6 
edible fats and oils  
food stuffs which are composed of glycerides of fatty acids of vegetable, animal or marine  origin 
complying with the provisions of this standard. They may co ntain small amounts of  other lipids such 
as phosphatides, unsaponifiable constituents and free fatty acids naturally  present in the fat or oil.  
 
3.7 
fortified edible fats and oils  
edible fats and oils  containing added micro nutrients in accordance with thi s standard  
 
3.8 
fortificant  
compound which contains the specified micronutrient intended to be added to a food vehicle  
3.9 
food fortification  
practice of deliberately adding  essential micronutrients in a food to improve the nutritional quality of 
the foo d and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health  
4 Quality requirements and essential composition  
4.1 Organoleptic characteristics  
 
Fortified e dible fats and oils shall be free from foreign and/or rancid odour and/or taste. The colour o f 
the product shall be characteristic of designated product.  
 
4.2 Chemical and physical characteristics  
 
Fortified e dible fats and oils shall conform to the maximum levels for physical and chemical 
characteristics in dicated in  Table 1 . 
 FDEAS 769:201 2 
© EAC 2012  — All rights reserved   3 
 Table 1: Maximum l imits1 for physical and chemical characteristics for fortified edible fats and oils   
Parameter  Level Method of 
test 
Matter volatile at 105  °C, % by mass, max.   0.2 ISO 662  
Insoluble impurities , % by mass, max.   0.05  ISO 663  
Soap content , % by mass, max.   0.005  10539  
Iron (Fe) :   
Refined fats and oils, mg/kg, max.  2.5  
ISO 8294  Virgin fats and oils, mg/kg, max.  5.0  
Cold pressed fats and oils, mg/kg, max.  5.0 
Copper (Cu) :   
Refined fats and oils, mg/kg, max.  0.1  
ISO 8294  Virgin fats and oils, mg/kg, max.  0.4 
Cold pressed fats and oils, mg/kg, max.  0.4   
Acid value :   
Refined fats and oils, mg KOH/g fat or oi l, max.  0.6  
ISO 660  Virgin fats and oils, mg KOH/g fat or oil, max.  4.0 
Cold pressed fats and oils, mg KOH/g fat or oil, max.  4.0 
Peroxide value2:   
Virgin oils and cold pressed fats and oils, 
milliequivalents of active oxygen/kg oil, max.  15  ISO 3960  or 
ISO 27107  
Other fats and oils, milliequivalents of active 
oxygen/kg oil, max. 10  
1The impact of these parameters on the stability of vitamin A in fortified edible fats and oils is not 
conclusively known. Users of the standards should evaluate such impacts.  
2In order to ensure the stability of vitamin A in fortified oil, edible fats and oils should be fortified only at 
peroxide values below 2 milliequivalents of active oxygen/kg oil  
 
5 Fortification requirements  
5.1 Levels of Vitamin A1 
The for tified edible oil or fat shall conform to the requirements and the levels of vitamin A provided in 
Table 2. 
Table 2: Requirements for Vitamin A in fortified edible oil or fat  
 
Nutrient  Fortificant compound  Recommended 
factory level , 
mg/kg Regulatory levels ,  
mg/kg 
minimum  Maximum  
Vitamin A  Vitamin A (Retinyl) 
palmitate  35±5 20 40 
 
                                                 
1 Countries may add other micronutrients such as vitamin D if available country data indicate deficiency in such nutrients.  FDEAS 769:201 2 
4  © EAC 2012  — All rights reserved  
 5.2 Fortificants  
 
Vitamin A shall be added in the form of stabilized vitamin A compound such as vitamin A palmitate 1.7 
m IU2/g or 1.0 m IU/g .    
Fortificant for use shall be stable compounds conforming to specifications in any of the  following 
documents:  
- British Pharmacopoeia  (BP),  
–Food Chemical Codex  (FCC) , 
–Merck Index  (MI), 
–United States National Formulary  (NF), 
–European Pharmacopoeia  (Ph Eur) , 
-United States Pharm acopoeia  (USP) ; 
– CAC  Codex Alimentarius Commission  
6  Food additives 
 
Fortified edible fats and oils  may contain food additives in accordance with  EAS 103 .  
7 Contaminants  
7.1 Heavy metal s  
 
Fortified edible fats and oils  shall co nform to the maximum limi ts for heavy metals established in 
CODEXSTAN 193.   
 
7.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Fortified edible fats and oils  shall co nform to the  maximum residue limits for pesticide residues 
established by the Codex  Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.   
 
NOTE  Where the use of certain pesticides is prohibi ted by some Partner States,  it should be notified to all 
Partner States accordingly.  
 
8 Hygiene  
Fortified edible fats and oils shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39 . 
 
9 Packaging  
9.1 Fortified edible fats and oils  shall be packaged in food grade, non-absorbent material s which 
do not have adverse influence upon effects on the composition of the product, its properties and 
appearance.  
 
NOTE 1 Packaging materials may be required to meet different regulations in the different destination countries.  
NOTE 2 The package fill should  conform  to the requirements of the legal metrology of the destination 
country . 
NOTE 3 East African C ommunity  partner  states are signatory to the International Labour O rganization (ILO)  
recommendations for maximum package weight of 50 kg per load where human loading and offloading is 
involved . 
                                                 
2 One International Units (IU) of Vitamin A = 0.33 micrograms  Retinol E quivalent   FDEAS 769:201 2 
© EAC 2012  — All rights reserved   5 
 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  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 ‗fortified with Vit amin A‘ shall be declared in close proximity to the name o f the 
oil or fat.   
c) The words ―cold pre ssed ‖, ―virgin‖, ―non-virgin ‖ or ―refined ‖ shall be declared on the label 
to indicate the type of  oil or fat.  
d) Where vegetable fat has been subject to any process of esterification or to processing  
which alters its fatt y 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.  
e) Date marking shall be declared in the following manner: The "date of minimum durability"  
(preceded by th e words "best before") shall be declared by the day, month and year in 
uncoded  numerical sequence except that for products with a shelf life of more than three  
months, the month and year will suffice.  
f) Instructions on disposal of used package  shall be decla red. 
g) Each product unit may also be marked with the national food fortification Logo, where the 
industry qualifies to use the mark.  
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.  
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:  
- The name of the product,  
- Lot identification ; and  
- The name and physical address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the 
container.  
10.3 Labelling prohibition  
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 
CAC/GL 2.  FDEAS 769:201 2 
6  © EAC 2012  — All rights reserved  
 10.5 Nutrition and health claims  
Fortified fats and oils may have clai ms on the importance of the vitamin  A in nutrition and health. Such 
claims when declared shall be consistent with CAC/GL 1 and CAC/GL 23 . 
11 Methods of sampling  
Sampling shall be don e in accordance with ISO 5555 . 
12 Methods  of test 
Testing for micronutrie nts may be conducted using any ECSA3 or any other internationally recognized 
test methods . 
                                                 
3 Manual of methods for determining micronutrients in fortified foods. www.a2zproject.org/ -
a2zorg/pdf/Manual_Foods.pdf  FDEAS 769:201 2 
© EAC 2012  — All rights reserved   7 
 Bibliography  
  
[1] CODEX STAN 19: 1981 (Rev 1987, 1999. Amend 2009), Codex Standard For Edible Fats And 
Oils Not Covered By Individual Standards  
 
[2] ECSA -HC Guidel ines of fortification levels for staples  
 
  
 DEAS 769:2011  
 
© EAC 2011  — All rights reserved