Foodstuff, powder

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Definition

Solid foodstuffs in powder form or fine flakes, such as milk-powder, flour or sugar.

This card also covers animal feed products in powder form or fine flakes.

For larger particles see card for Loose grain and seeds.

For products in individual packs see specific card for Retail packages and finished articles.

Recommended minimum quantity for each final sample

0,5 kg

Applicable standards (ISO and EU Norms) and relevant legislation

EN ISO 707:2008 Milk and milk products — Guidance on sampling.
EN ISO 5555 Animal and vegetables fats and oils. Sampling.
Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009 of 27 January 2009 laying down the methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of feed.

You should also refer to your national legislation and national guidelines regarding sampling.

Equipment needed

Suggested sampling tool depending on the method used

Spear-type sampler (S01-01).
Zone sampler (S02-01).
Sampling trowel (S03-01).
Sample dividing equipment (D01-01).

Containers to be used for the sampling

Plastic bags, different sizes, with or without pre-printed labels (P00).
Plastic bottles, various sizes (P02, P03, P04)


P00	P02	P03	P04

All containers must be suitable for food.

Safety precautions and risk assessment

You should be aware of and follow any health and safety instructions in the local risk assessment and/or safe working practices for the location where the sampling is to take place.
Pay attention to any safety labels. If you have indications that there are dangerous goods, request the SDS or ADR.
See Health and Safety for Sampling of Food Products for detailed advice on hygiene and risks for dry food products in bulk.
The hygiene of food products must be maintained.
Ensure you have clean and appropriate PPE for the circumstances.
Products of vegetable origin can be dusty or infested with agents that are dangerous to human health. Officers should make a risk assessment when they have sighted the consignment.
Officers should wear appropriate respiratory protection for exposure to dust.
High levels of dust in the air in combination with static electricity may generate a fire or explosion.

Sampling plan

Type of consignment	Procedure
Consignments for customs clearance
	One aggregate sample consists of an appropriate number of incremental samples chosen randomly or systematically throughout the consignment. When you are satisfied the consignment is homogeneous, one incremental sample is usually taken as representing the goods covered by the same customs declaration.
Consignments for excise control
	The aggregate sample consists of an appropriate number of incremental samples. The minimum number of incremental samples is described below. If the consignment consists of goods originating from one production line (the lot number is identical) a reduced number of samples may be taken.
Loose in carriages, bulk, tanks or container
	One aggregate sample from five or more incremental samples taken from conventional points depending on the size of the tank and number of tanks, chosen randomly or systematically throughout the consignment, see Sampling of solids, 2.2 Sampling of bulk products in the General part. Check the homogeneity of the lot — if the homogeneity is in doubt, take more incremental samples. More aggregate samples should be created from tanks if containing different products or lots. Sample is usually taken from top openings through the hatch. Cross-sectional sampling can be also used. Spear-type sampler (S01-01): a spear-type sampler should be inserted with the sampling chamber(s) closed. When the probe has reached the required depth, the chambers should be opened and the probe twisted to ensure the chambers are filled. Close the chambers and withdraw the probe. Zone sampler (S02-01): the probes are inserted into the load with the opening facing the bottom, then rotated 180° and withdrawn slowly in order to provide uniform samples of the whole section. In each lot, the samples must be collected at various points to ensure the aggregate sample is representative.
Transport packages, barrels, drums, cases, tins
	One or more aggregate samples: from incremental samples (one or more depending on the product homogeneity, number of containers) drawn from the middle of each container chosen randomly or systematically throughout the consignment, see 1.3 Sampling from transport packages in the General part. An aggregate sample may be formed only from containers from the same lot contained in the same consignment. If there are several lots, they should be identified and sampled separately. If possible, properly homogenize the content of the container before sampling.
Bags, drums
	One or more aggregate samples: from incremental samples (one or more depending on the product homogeneity, number of containers) drawn from the middle of each container chosen randomly or systematically throughout the consignment, see Sampling of solids from transport packages in the General part. An aggregate sample may be formed only from containers from the same lot contained in the same consignment. If there are several lots, they should be identified and sampled separately. If a sample is taken from only one container (e.g. barrel), it is poured directly from the sampler into the sample container.
Powders being moved
	One aggregate sample: from incremental samples throughout the whole diameter of the stream, with intervals determined by the moving speed, see Sampling from moving cargo. Where the product is being mechanically moved using conveyors or other equipment there may be diverter valves or chutes that allow samples to be drawn at regular intervals from the moving stream. If these are not present it may be necessary for health and safety reasons to stop the flow and use a shovel or scoop to draw samples from the conveyor. In some cases samples may be collected by passing a scoop with long handles through the moving stream of chemical product at regular intervals. In each case samples must be drawn during the whole time the lot is flowing past the sampling point to ensure that the aggregate sample is representative.

Handling of samples

General comments
	Where the product is transported loose in bulk, the load must be considered as a whole and the samples must be taken from all parts of the load. Continuous automatic sampling is always the preferred method as opposed to manual sampling. Dividing the sample: the size of an aggregate sample may be large. It will therefore be necessary to reduce this to obtain the final samples. Please refer to the Sample Division System.
Sampling form
	Fill in the sampling form. One copy should be attached to the samples and one copy should be kept for the record.
Transport
	The samples must be protected against light and odour to prevent contamination, microbiological growth or other situations which would damage the sample.
Storage
	The samples must be kept at ambient temperature in a dry and well-ventilated place. They must be protected against light and odour to prevent contamination, microbiological growth or other situations which would damage the sample. Samples which will be tested for the moisture content, or where the moisture content may affect the analysis, must be packed in moisture-tight containers with an air-tight closure. The container must be filled completely and then sealed to prevent any change in the moisture content.

List of HS Codes

*HS Number ^)**	Description
0210	Meat and edible meat offal, salted, in brine, dried or smoked; edible flours and meals of meat or meat offal
0305	Fish, dried, salted or in brine; smoked fish, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process; flours, meals and pellets of fish, fit for human consumption
0402	Milk and cream, concentrated or containing added sugar or other sweetening matter
0406 20	Grated or Powdered cheese, of all kinds
0406 90	Cheese for processing (excl. fresh cheese, incl. whey cheese, curd, processed cheese, blue-veined cheese and other cheese containing veins produced by "Penicillium roqueforti", and grated or powdered cheese )
1101	Wheat or meslin flour
1102	Cereal flours other than of wheat or meslin
1105	Flour, meal, powder, flakes, granules and pellets of potatoes
1106	Flour, meal and powder of the dried leguminous vegetables of heading 07.13, of sago or of roots or tubers of heading 07.14 or of the products of Chapter 8
1108	Starches; inulin
1109	Wheat gluten, whether or not dried
1208	Flours and meals of oil seeds or oleaginous fruits, other than those of mustard
1210	Hop cones, fresh or dried, whether or not ground, powdered or in the form of pellets; lupulin
1701	Cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose, in solid form
1702	Other sugars, including chemically pure lactose, maltose, glucose and fructose, in solid form
1805	Cocoa powder, not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter
1806	Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa
1901	Malt extract; food preparations of flour, groats, meal, starch or malt extract, not containing cocoa or containing less than 40% by weight of cocoa calculated on a totally defatted basis, not elsewhere specified or included; food preparations of goods of headings 04.01 to 04.04, not containing cocoa or containing less than 5% by weight of cocoa calculated on a totally defatted basis, not elsewhere specified or included
2101	Extracts, essences and concentrates, of coffee, tea or maté and preparations with a basis of these products or with a basis of coffee, tea or maté; roasted chicory and other roasted coffee substitutes, and extracts, essences and concentrates thereof
2102	Yeasts (active or inactive); other single-cell micro-organisms, dead (but not including vaccines of heading 3002); prepared baking powders
2103	Sauces and preparations therefor; mixed condiments and mixed seasonings; mustard flour and meal and prepared mustard
2106	Food preparations not elsewhere specified or included
2301	Flours, meals and pellets, of meat or meat offal, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, unfit for human consumption; greaves
2302	Bran, sharps and other residues, whether or not in the form of pellets, derived from the sifting, milling or other working of cereals or of leguminous plants
2303	Residues of starch manufacture and similar residues, beet-pulp, bagasse and other waste of sugar manufacture, brewing or distilling dregs and waste, whether or not in the form of pellets
2304	Oil-cake and other solid residues, whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of soyabean oil
2305	Oil-cake and other solid residues, whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of groundnut oil
2306	Oil-cake and other solid residues, whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of vegetable fats or oils, other than those of heading 23.04 or 23.05
2308	Vegetable materials and vegetable waste, vegetable residues and by-products, whether or not in the form of pellets, of a kind used in animal feeding, not elsewhere specified or included
2309	Preparations of a kind used in animal feeding

^*) The commodities mentioned may also be covered by other specific sampling cards depending on their precise nature.

Foodstuffs, powder | SAM-103