South Korea to prioritise food safety information and visibility in new e-labelling regulations
South Korea has stressed that its labelling regulations will prioritise food safety information such as expiry dates and allergens.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) published a notification of changes to food labelling regulations this year, which primarily called for companies to transfer all non-essential information from the printed label to e-labels.
“This move was to increase consumer convenience and visibility of the important information, protect their right-to-know, alleviate costs to the industry as well as fall in line with carbon neutrality initiatives,” MFDS Minister Oh Yoo-kyung said.
“MFDS has also started operating a real-time food information service called Food QR, where consumers can easily check food safety and health/lifestyle information by scanning the QR codes on the food products using their mobile phones.”
China’s latest food safety report reveals pesticide contamination, food additives as major concerns
China’s government-led food safety report has revealed pesticide contamination, microbial contamination and excessive food additive content as major concerns.
China compiles local food safety data based on random spot checks conducted on a large number of food companies in the country in quarterly reports.
The 2025 version was compiled from spot checks and testing on over two million batches of local food products, and found that over 60,000 batches of these did not meet local food safety standards.
Philippines faces rice price instability amid global unrest
Philippines halted rice price cuts and tariff hikes amid global unrest this year, a move that had short-term benefits but appeared to have fuelled uncertainty and rising costs in the long run.
Rice is the major food commodity in most Asian countries, including the Philippines which is also one of the world’s major importers.
The recent past saw the effects of El Nino in 2024 cause a dip in local supply, as well as a rice export ban by major supplier India to manage its own rice supply needs in 2023.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a major drop in rice import duties from the regular 35% to 15% last year in order to attract more rice imports as a result, but after the potential supply crisis passed calls immediately started up to have tariffs increased again.
“Unchecked rice imports are harming local farmers,” Nueva Ecija Representative Rossana Vergara told the Philippines Congress.
Indonesia’s WTO winning streak could threaten EUDR viability
Continuous palm oil wins for Indonesia at the WTO earlier this year cast doubts on how the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will impact sustainability and trade
Over the past decade, Indonesia surfaced multiple complaints to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputing the EU’s ‘unfair’ treatment of palm oil, from the enforcement of anti-dumping duties to measures levelled against palm oil as part of the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II).
Significantly, every single one of Indonesia’s complaints to the WTO so far when it comes to palm oil have been successful, and industry experts have been hopeful that this will serve to disincentivise the EU towards putting up more ‘protectionist’ trade barriers – such as the EUDR.
“The pattern is now undeniable: Brussels repeatedly erects trade barriers against Indonesian palm oil through various mechanisms – environmental regulations, anti-dumping duties, countervailing measures – only to have them systematically dismantled at the WTO for lacking legal merit,” trade and sustainability consultant Khalil Hegarty told us.
‘Forceful and precise’: How China’s retaliation to Trump’s tariffs could impact food trade
China’s retaliatory 34% tariff response to Trump’s Liberation Day hikes was expected to have a major impact on the food and beverage trade.
China struck back against Trump’s first and second tariff hikes by implementing its own increases for some 820 US imports - over 700 of which were agrifood products.
“The US’s unilateral tariff increase damages the multilateral trading system, increases the burden on US companies and consumers, and undermines the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between China and the US,” China’s State Council Tariff Commission (CTC) had said via a strongly-worded statement.
“[As such], additional tariffs [were] imposed on some imported goods originating from the United States to China starting March 10 2025.”
China increased its levies from 10% to 15% in March by a further 34%, following this latest round of US tariffs.
The government had previously already vowed to take action to protect its own interests, calling Trump’s move ‘typical unilateral bullying’.
Food poisoning policy: South Korea seeks to limit large outbreaks to two per year
The South Korean government attempted to clamp down on large scale national food poisoning cases this year after a spate of significant outbreaks.
South Korea had a tough run in terms of food safety and food poisoning cases over the past two years, having recorded over 350 cases and close to 9,000 individuals during the summer months of July to September 2023 alone, as well as a serious outbreak affecting over 1,000 victims in July last year.
The government announced its national 2025 food poisoning and prevention measures campaign in late February 2025.
“The goal is to have no more than two large-scale food poisoning cases involving 300 or more individuals; and to have no more that 6,000 patients affecting overall this year,” MFDS Minister Oh Yoo-kyung said.
Food fraud in Turkey reveals critical risks
A study revealed that food fraud in Turkey is widespread and growing more sophisticated, with serious consequences for public health and trust in the supply chain
According to a comprehensive study led by Istanbul Aydın University, over 4,000 food fraud incidents involving more than 7,000 specific adulteration cases were documented in Turkey between 2012 and 2022.
The findings painted a clear picture: economically motivated fraud is targeting key staples like milk, meat, and vegetable oils.
Many of these cases involved substitution with cheaper ingredients, but a disturbing number included pharmaceutical adulterants, like sildenafil (Viagra) and sibutramine, which can pose major health risks.
The researchers emphasised that these were not isolated problems but part of a systemic issue that undermined food safety and economic fairness.
Indonesia halal authority issues warnings after multiple food products found to contain pork
A large-scale DNA analysis this showed multiple confectionery products in the Indonesian market contained pork.
Indonesia formally enforced regulations mandating all products being traded in the local market, including foods and beverages, to be halal-certified in October last year.
However, based on the results of spot-checks conducted jointly by BPJPH and the Indonesia Food and Drug Agency (BPOM), multiple confectionery products were confirmed to contain pork or porcine content.
“Nine different types of processed food products were found to contain elements of pork/porcine content, which has been confirmed via DNA laboratory testing for porcine peptides,” BPJPH Head Ahmad Haikal Hasan said.
Japan’s low GM food awareness slows self-sufficiency progress
Data has shown that under 50% of Japan consumers understand GM foods, a challenge to reaching local food self-sufficiency and production goals
The government has been attempting to change public perception of GM foods for many years, including implementing new GM food regulations and publishing yearly reports on the safety of GM crops and cultivation sites, mainly focused on soybean and rapeseed, since 2006.
But despite its decades of work, new data gathered via a Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) survey has shown a continued lack of knowledge among consumers.
“The report was based on 10,000 responses from consumers of various ages, from their teens to their seventies, from all over Japan,” CAA stated via formal documentation.
South Korea launches ‘preparation plan’ to manage potential food supply disruptions
South Korea has allowed more flexibility in purchasing processes and international online imports as part of a plan to manage disruptions to food supplies.
South Korea was concerned about its food supply security after it was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine war hit its wheat imports, leading it to turn to rice as a replacement.
Earlier this year, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) Minister Oh Yoo-kyung announced that the ministry had laid out plans in preparation for potential ‘global supply chain deterioration’, ini order to ensure a stable supply of food for South Korea.
