FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 747
First Edition
2011-mm-dd
 
Referen
ce numbe r
FDUS EAS 747: 2010
 © UNBS 201 1
  
Fried potato chips — Specification 
 FDUS EAS 747: 2010  
 
© UNBS  2011 – All rights reserved ii 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 2011 
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, in cluding 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  
 FDUS EAS 747: 2010 
© UNBS  2011 - All rights rese rved                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 U ganda. 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 A limentariu s Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agr eem ents 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 gi ven field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academician s, manufacturers, governme nt and other stakeholders. 
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committ ee 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, F DUS EAS 747:2010, Fried potato chips — Specification, is identical with 
and has been reproduced from an East African Standard, EAS 747:2010, Fried potato chips — Specification,  
and is being proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard.  
This standard was developed by the Food and Agricu lt ure Standards Technical Committee (UNBS/TC 2).  
Wherever the words, “East African Standard" appear, they sho uld be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 
 EAS 747:2010
 ICS 67.080.20
 
© EAC 2010                First Edition 2010  
 
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Fried potato chips — Specification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY EAS 747:2010 9 
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               ii 
 Foreword 
 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in East Africa. 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 Test 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 Community in order to facilitate industrial development and trade as well as helping to 
protect the health and safety of societ y and the environment in the Community. 
 
East African Standards are formulated  in accordance with the procedures established by the East African 
Standards Committee. The East African Standards Committe e is established under the provisions of Article 4 
of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006. The Committee is compos ed of representatives of the National Standards 
Bodies in Partner States, together with the repr esentatives from the priv ate sectors and consumer 
organizations. Draft East African Standards are circul ated 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 t he procedures of the Community.  
 
Article 15(1) of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006 provides that “Wit hin six months of the declar ation 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 therefor e expected to ensure that they always hav e the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing.  
 
© East African Community 2010 — 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.int 
                                                      
* © 2010 EAC — All rights of exploitation in any form and by an y means reserved worldwide for EAC Partner States’ NSBs.  
 EAS 747:2010 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved                 iii 
 Acknowledgement 
This standard was devel oped with support from the Policy Analysi s and Advocacy Programme (PAAP) of the 
Association for Strengthening Agricult ural Research in Eastern and Cent ral Africa (ASARECA). This was 
possible though a grant by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This support 
was used in the process of formulation and mobilization of stakeholders to review the standard in national and 
regional fora. 
 
ASARECA is a non-political association of agricultural research institutes  in: Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea, 
Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzani a and Uganda. ASARECA serves  as a platform for 
promoting regional research and in the sharing of benef its and spillovers that derive from such research. The 
mission of ASARECA is to “ Enhance regional collective action in agricultural research for development, 
extension and agricultural training and education, to pr omote economic growth, fight poverty, eradicate hunger 
and enhance sustainable use of resources in Eastern and Central Africa ”. 
 
Development of standards has been part of PAAP’s contribution to changing the way business is done in 
crucial agricultural sectors to increase effici ency and/or reduce waste through rationalization and 
harmonization of policies, laws, regulations and proc edures. Rationalization focuses on how countries conduct 
business in a given subsector, and determines what should be done to make the procedures and processes 
more efficient. Harmonization brings together regionally  different approaches (policies, laws, regulations and 
procedures) into unified approaches that are applied acro ss the countries. This harmonization process allows 
commodities and factors to move freely across national boundaries, thereby improving domestic and foreign investment by expanding markets beyond national borders. Over time this will lead to gradual attainment of 
seamless borders for trade in potatoes and potato products across the region. 
 
Removal of regulatory bottlenecks to transboundary mo vement of potato products in the region will enhance 
competitiveness of trade and value addition in the sub-se ctor. It will improve the value chains by supporting 
product differentiation and hence increased trade in pot ato products in the region.  This will ultimately 
contribute to incomes, employment generation and improved welfare in the region. This fits snugly with the aspirations of ASARECA as a key player contributing to economic devel opment of the region. 
 
 
 
 EAS 747:2010 9 
Introduction 
Potato chips are one of the deep-fried snack foods ava ilable on the market. Such products are very popular 
for reasons of taste and nutritional value. Fried potato ch ips, also known as potato French fries, are usually 
prepared by peeling and slicing potato and deep-fat fryi ng the slices in suitable edible oil or fat, or 
combinations thereof. In the case of sliced potato, these are sliced breadthwise to give thin slices. The 
slices/shreds are washed and fried in fat/oil or combinat ions thereof, held at proper temperature and time to 
render them ready. Salt and other seasonings are adde d after frying. When groundnut or other unsaturated 
oils are used, permitted antioxidants in the frying medium are sufficient to give protection to the potato chips. 
Success in deep frying of chips depends upon several factors, such as:  
a) use of proper raw material of optimum maturity and quality;  
b) correct method of preparation; 
c) use of suitable equipment;  
d) selection of appropriate fat or oil as frying medium;  
e) optimum time and temperature of frying; 
f) efficient packaging; and  
g) proper storage.  
This standard will assist in the processing and sale of standardized, nutritious and safe products. It provides requirements for assessing the quality and safety of pot ato chips. Complying with these requirements will 
enable the products to meet the minimum quality and safety requirements of consumers and regulators.  
 
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               iv 
 EAST AFRICAN STANDARD EAS 747:2010
 
1               © EAC 2010 – All rights reserved 
 Fried potato chips — Specification 
1 Scope 
This East African Standard specifies requirement s and methods of sampling and test for deep fried 
potato chips ready for 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, General standard for labeling of prepackaged foods 
EAS 39, Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry  
EAS 103, General standard for food additives 
EAS 321, Edible oils and fats  — Specification  
EAS 35, Specification for edible (fortified) salt  
EAS 98, Spices and Condiments —  Specification 
EAS 217-5, Methods for the microbiological examinati on of foods — Part 5: Enumeration of 
coagulase-positive staphylococci 
ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs  — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique 
CAC/RCP 67, Code of Practice for reduction of acryl amide in foods 
EAS 748, Fresh potatoes — Specification 
EAS 746, Frozen potato chips 
3 Product description  
fried potato chips 
product prepared from clean, mature, sound potato tubers or frozen potato chips subjected to a deep 
frying process to make them crispy and ready for consumption  EAS 747:2010 9 
4 Essential quality and compositional requirements 
4.1 Essential materials  
The following materials shall be used in the preparation of fried potato chips: 
a) fresh potato; c onforming EAS 748; or 
b) frozen potato Chips  conforming to EAS 746; and ; 
c) edible oil or fat conforming to EAS 321 
 
NOTE Using the oil several times may lead to poor quality and affect the safety of the chips 
4.2 Optional ingredients 
In addition to the essential ingredients specified in 4.1, the following optional ingredients may be 
added: 
a) spices and condiments conforming to EAS 98.   
b) salt conforming to EAS 35; 
4.3 General quality requirements factors  
Fried potato chips shall: 
1. have golden brown colour; 
2. have acceptable texture;  
3. have a uniform surface, free from b listers and excessive brown pigmentation; 
4. not be excessively oily ; and 
5. not be rancid  bitter or have other objectionable odours and taste. 
4.4 Specific quality requirements 
The fried potato chips shall conform to  the requirements given in Table 1. 
Table 1 — Chemical for fried potato chips 
Characteristic Requirement 
Acid insoluble ash, % by mass (on dry basis), max. 0.15  
Free fatty acid %, by mass max.  0.5 
Peroxide value, meq. oxygen/kg fat, max. 10  
Fat content % by mass max  (on dry basis). max 20 
Acrylamide  As specified in CAC/RCP 67 
 
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               2 
 EAS 747:2010 
 
5 Food additives 
Additives may be used in accordance with EAS 103 ;  
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Pesticide residues  
Fried potato chips shall comply with the maximum residue limits for pesticides established by the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity. 
6.2 Other contaminants  
Fried potato chips shall comply with the maxi mum levels of the Codex General Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CODEX STAN 193). 
7 Hygiene 
The fried potato chips shall be prepared, packaged and stored under hygienic conditions in 
accordance with EAS 39;  The chips shall confor m to the microbiological limits in Table 2. 
Table 2— Microbiological requirements for potato crisps 
Micro-organism(s) Maximum limit Method of test 
Total viable count, CFU per gram, 
max 104 EAS ISO  
Escherichia coli , CFU per  gram Shall be absent  ISO 7251 
ISO 4833; 
Salmonella  Shall be absent ISO 6579 
Yeasts and moulds, CFU per gram 103 EAS ISO  
ISO 21527-2 
 
8 Packaging  
Potato chips shall be packaged in a food grade material to safe guard the hygienic and nutritional 
quality of the product. The container shall be moisture and air proof, oil proof and well sealed to 
prevent spoilage or contamination. 
10 Weights and Measures 
Potato chips shall be packaged in accordance with Weights and Measures requirements of the 
destination country.  
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               3 
 EAS 747:2010 9 
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               4 
 11 Labelling  
In case of fried potato chips for distribution (under contro lled conditions), in addition to the requirements of EAS 
38, the following specific labeling requirements s hall apply and shall legibly and indelibly marked. 
 
a) name of the product shall be “Fried potato chip s”;, if the chips are spiced the product shall be 
labelled as “Spiced fried potato chips”; 
b) name and physical  address of the manufacturer 
c) date of manufacture; 
d)  best before date ; 
e) country of origin; 
f) list of ingredients; 
g) net weight; and 
h) lot identification  
i) Storage conditions,  
12 Methods of sampling  
Representative samples for determining the conformity of the material to the requirements of this 
specification shall be drawn in accordance with the relevant Ea st African standard. 
 
 
 EAS 747:2010
  
© EAC 2010 — All rights reserved