Back to Charts of cardsDefinitionFree-flowing granular products; grains, seeds; food products; animal feed, etc.Oilseeds, oleaginous fruits, and any form of pelletized products.For products in powder form see specific card for Foodstuffs, powder.For products in individual packs see specific card for Retail packages and finished articles.Recommended minimum quantity for each final sample0,5 kg (1 kg for the determination of the quality of wheat)Applicable standards (ISO and EU Norms) and relevant legislationEN ISO 542 Oilseeds - SamplingISO 948 Spices and condiments - SamplingEN ISO 24333 Cereals and cereal products - SamplingISO 6497 Animal feeding stuff - SamplingCommission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009 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 neededSuggested 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 label (P00)Plastic bottles, various sizes (P01, P03, P04) P00P01P03P04The containers must be made of a material suitable for food.Safety precautions and risk assessmentYou 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.See Health and Safety for the Sampling of Food Products for detailed advice on hygiene and risks for dry foods 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 planType of consignmentProcedureConsignments for customs clearance One aggregate sample consisting of an appropriate number of incremental samples chosen randomly or systematically throughout the consignment.Bags, drums One aggregate sample: by random selection from different parts of the consignment.Take incremental samples at random from at least two bags or drums from the middle.For animal feed control refer to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009Bulk being moved by a conveyor or other flowing grain One aggregate sample: from incremental samples across the whole diameter of the stream, with intervals determined by the moving speed. For more information see General Principles, Sampling Methods.Where the grain is being mechanically moved using conveyors or other equipment there may be diverter valves or chutes which 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 grain at regular intervals. In each case samples must be drawn during the whole time the lot is flowing past the sampling point to ensure the aggregate sample is representative.Loose < 15 tonnes in carriages, tanks or containers One aggregate sample: from incremental samples taken at regular intervals as the consignment is in motion (see bulk being moved) or from at least five conventional points. For more information see General Principles, Sampling Methods.For animal feed control refer to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009Loose >15 tonnes but < 30 tonnes in carriages, tanks or containers One aggregate sample: from incremental samples taken at regular intervals as the consignment is in motion (see bulk being moved) or from at least eight conventional points. For more information see General Principles, Sampling Methods.For animal feed control refer to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009Loose >30 tonnes but < 50 tonnes in carriages, tanks or containers One aggregate sample: from incremental samples taken at regular intervals as the consignment is in motion (see bulk being moved) or from at least eleven conventional points. For more information see General Principles, Sampling Methods.For animal feed control refer to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009Loose < 500 tonnes in silos One aggregate sample: from incremental samples taken at regular intervals as the consignment is removed (see Bulk being moved) or transferred to another silo.For animal feed control refer to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009Loose in ship >500 tonnes in holds One aggregate sample: from incremental samples taken at regular intervals as the consignment is removed (see Bulk being moved) or from at least five conventional points (one in the middle plus four at the midpoints between the centre and the apexes).Loose in ship >500 tonnes in various holds One aggregate sample for each hold: from incremental samples taken at regular intervals as the consignment is removed (see Bulk being moved) or from at least five conventional points. For more information see General Principles, Sampling Methods.For animal feed control refer to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009Handling of samplesGeneral 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.Representative sampling: The sample should be representative of the whole consignment. Incremental samples must be taken throughout the lot or during the whole of the discharge process. The recommended minimum quantity for each incremental sample is 1 kg. The incremental samples must be mixed thoroughly to create the aggregate sample. Ensure that the product being sampled remains unaltered by the sampling process. You must avoid handling (such as ventilation or sieving) which may be carried out in order to reduce the presence of dust or other constituents (bran, etc.).Taking samples: Different methods apply depending on how the grain is transported or discharged from the transport.Bulk 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 collect a uniform sample across the whole section. In each lot, the sample must be collected at three heights (upper, middle and lower levels) and at various points to ensure the aggregate sample is representative.Spear-type sampler (S01-01). Vertical probes 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. In each lot, the sample must be collected at various points across the surface and at various depths to ensure the aggregate sample is representative.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 should be kept at room 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.Storage The samples must be kept at room 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 are to 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 sealed afterwards to prevent any change in the moisture content.List of HS CodesHS Number *)Decription0210Meat and edible meat offal, salted, in brine, dried or smoked; edible flours and meals of meat or meat offal0305Fish, 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 consumption0713Dried leguminous vegetables, shelled, whether or not skinned or split0714Manioc, arrowroot salep, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potatoes and similar roots and tubers with high starch or inulin content, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not sliced or in the form of pellets; sago pith0909Seeds of anise, badian, fennel, coriander, cumin or caraway; juniper berries1001Wheat and meslin1002Rye in the grain1003Barley1004Oats1005Maize (corn)1006Rice1007Sorghum1008Buckwheat, millet and canary seed; other cereals1103Cereal groats, meal and pellets1104Cereal grains otherwise worked (for example, hulled, rolled, flaked, pearled, sliced or kibbled), expect rice of heading 10.06; germ of cereals, whole, rolled, flaked or ground1105Flour, meal, powder, flakes, granules and pellets of potatoes1106Flour, meal and powder of the dried leguminous vegetables of heading 0713, of sago or of roots or tubers of heading 0714 or of the products of Chapter 81107Malt, whether or not roasted1201Soya beans, whether or not broken1203Copra1204Linseed, whether or not broken1205Rape or colza seeds, whether or not broken1206Sunflower seeds, whether or not broken1207Other oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, whether or not broken1208Flours and meals of oil seeds or oleaginous fruits, other than those of mustard1209Seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing1210Hop cones, fresh or dried, whether or not ground, powdered or in the form of pellets; lupulin1211Plants and parts of plants (including seeds and fruits), of a kind used primarily in perfumery, in pharmacy or for insecticidal, fungicidal or similar purposes, fresh or dried, whether or not cut, crushed or powdered1212Locust beans, seaweeds and other algae, sugar beet and sugar cane, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not ground; fruit stones and kernels and other vegetable products (including unroasted chicory roots of the variety Cichorium intybus sativum) of a kind used primarily for human consumption, not elsewhere specified or included1213Cereal straw and husks, unprepared, whether or not chopped, ground, pressed or in the form of pellets1214Swedes, mangolds, fodder roots, hay, lucerne (alfalfa), clover, sainfoin, forage kale, lupines, vetches and similar forage products, whether or not in the form of pellets1401Vegetable materials of a kind used primarily for plaiting (for example, bamboos, rattans, reeds, rushes, osier, raffia, cleaned, bleached or dyed cereal straw, and lime bark)1404Vegetable products not elsewhere specified or included1801Cocoa beans, whole or broken, raw or roasted1802Cocoa shells, husks, skins and other cocoa waste1902Pasta, whether or not cooked or stuffed (with meat or other substances) or otherwise prepared, such as spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, lasagne, gnocchi, ravioli, cannelloni, couscous, whether or not prepared1903Sauces and preparations therefor; mixed condiments and mixed seasonings; mustard flour and meal and prepared mustard1904Prepared foods obtained by the swelling or roasting of cereals or cereal products (for example, corn flakes); cereals (other than maize (corn)) in grain form or in the form of flakes or other worked grains (except flour, groats and meal), pre-cooked, or otherwise prepared, nor elsewhere specified or included2301Flours, meals and pellets, of meat or meat offal, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, unfit for human consumption; greaves2302Bran, 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 plants2303Residues 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 pellets2304Oil-cake and other solid residues, whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of soyabean oil2305Oil-cake and other solid residues, whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of groundnut oil2306Oil-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 23.052307Wine lees; argol2308Vegetable 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 included2309Preparations of a kind used in animal feeding*) The commodities mentioned may also be covered by other specific sampling cards depending on their precise nature.Back to top List of cards Chart of cards