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The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has approved two (2) new standards that will guide quality and safety requirements for hermetic bags for the storage of grains.
Through the new standards, KEBS has addressed the use of hermetic storage for woven polypropylene bags and rigid plastic silos for the storage of dried food commodities, derived products and seeds without the use of pesticides as a preservative in storage.
Hermetic bags are air-tight bags that prevent air/water from getting into the cereals stored in them.
The new standards ensure that these bags preserve the contents while restricting the existence of cereal pests by depleting oxygen supply levels producing carbon dioxide.
Requirements for the outer bag and hermetic liner include and are not limited to breaking force of the sacking, water vapour transmission rate (WVTR), oxygen transmission rate (OTR), packaging and labelling among others specified.
“As part of our contribution to food security, these standards will go a long way in ensuring that grains and cereals are effectively protected from infestation and moisture loss, thereby, reducing post-harvest loss.” says, Lt Col (Rtd.) Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director, KEBS.
The two approved standards are;
- KS EAS 985-1:2020 Hermetic storage bags — Specification — Part 1: Woven polypropylene outer bag
- KS EAS 986:2020 Portable rigid plastic hermetic grain silo — Specification