Posted on August, 28, 2023 at 09:12 am
The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has intensified efforts to monitor the quality of maize, grain and flour exports to ensure conformity to standards As such, every maize grain and flour exporter is advised to obtain copies of key maize standards and comply with the specified requirements.
The governing Uganda Standards include: US EAS 2:2017, Maize Grains: Specification (3rd Edition),US EAS 44:2019, Milled maize (corn) products—Specification (4th Edition), and US EAS 38:2014, the labeling of pre-packaged foods: general requirements.
Sylvia Kirabo, Principal Public Relations Officer of UNBS, says that under the new arrangement, the Bureau will identify a motorable, secure, dust-free, and mud-free assembling point for the trucks to be sampled.
UNBS will also provide sealable trucks for safe custody of the sampled products.
Trucks whose results are found to comply with the standard shall be released to proceed to the border under the UNBS seal.
However, trucks whose results are found to be non-compliant shall be retained for further management in line with the agreed procedures for handling non-conforming products.
Every exporter shall be required to present a copy of the ownership of the consignment. Every exporter shall be required to present a copy of a valid UNBS Certification Permit and must have his or her product packaging clearly and indelibly labeled and traceable with the name of the product, name and address of the manufacturer or packer, brand name and/or registered trade mark, batch, net weight in SI units, storage instructions, the statement “food for human consumption”, country of origin, date of manufacture, expiry date, and instructions for disposal of the used package (ref: US EAS 2 and US EAS 44 and US EAS 38).
According to UNBS, the exporter shall meet the cost of handling casual workers during the sampling. The cost of laboratory analysis of the product samples, too, shall be borne by the client (exporter).
Kirbo says that the safety of the UNBS seal, the sealed truck, and its contents remain the responsibility of the owner of the consignment (the exporter).
“Self-policing is highly encouraged, i.e., the exporter is independently responsible for keeping and maintaining the order and security of the sealed consignment,” Kirabo said in a statement Friday.
She appealed to exporters to ensure that their products are of the right quality and quantity before they are presented for sampling.
“Should any truck disappear from the parking yard or any exporter violate the above guidelines, it shall nullify the whole exercise, and UNBS shall withdraw from this arrangement,” she warned.
Source: Chimreports