The Taiwan Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has announced a new food safety certification requirement for the import of eggs and a raft of egg products and ingredients from August this year.
The Taipei City Government Department of Health has issued a warning against the use of the blue butterfly pea plant for direct consumption as a food or beverage, although its use as a natural food colouring agent has been permitted.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered for the postponement of yet another food-related regulation implementation, this time surrounding the labelling of wheat flour.
Policy development’s involving raw milk in New Zealand, coconut oil in India and rice in the Philippines are featured in our latest round-up of regional policy changes.
The Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is considering the removal of suggested retail prices (SRPs) for rice in the wake of the rice tariffication law being signed earlier this year.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned 14 brands of coconut oil in the southern state of Kerala, citing the detection of adulteration.
Indian regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has urged the government to again extend its 11-year-old ban on Chinese milk products until labs at Indian ports have been upgraded for melamine testing.
The New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) has launched an online survey seeking public consultation on the efficacy of current regulations surrounding raw milk.
Local authorities may soon address possible 'gaps' in Singapore’s legislation regarding and healthy food products, with regulator Singapore Food Agency (SFA) commissioning a study to assess its rules regime.
Honey companies and Maori collectives have met with Kiwi government representatives at a hui (Maori assembly), seeking faster government action and a better solution to issues wrought by recently implemented mānuka honey regulations.
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has ordered for ‘indiscriminate action’ and surveillance by the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) to be carried out in the province throughout the Ramadan festival period.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has postponed the enforcement of organic food certification and regulations for small organic firms, making this the agency’s fourth postponement of regulations related to food products since January...
Malaysia has signed an agreement with China to resume the much-debated East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, which will include increased palm oil exports to the latter, said Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
South Korea’s ban on seafood from Fukushima, Japan has been upheld by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after a legal debate spanning several years, despite protests from Japan that the food products are ‘scientifically safe’.
The food and beverage industry in Australia is at odds with local health and consumer groups over calls by the latter to enforce usage of the Heath Stars Rating (HSR) System by food firms in the country as a mandatory requirement.
The food and retail industry in New Zealand has fired back against a recently-published study claiming that ‘junk food’ marketing that children are subjected to may cause them ‘physical, mental and moral harm’.
Australian researchers are calling for stricter governance over regulator FSANZ’s food-health relationship claims system, after arguing that 40.3% of product claims have not been proven with substantial evidence.
Nestlé’s Dr Jörg Hager will deliver a keynote address at the second Healthy Ageing APAC Summit, where he will assess the changes needed in nutritional recommendations for an ageing population.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) implemented the mandatory attachment of warning labels to all alcoholic beverages on April 1, but has further extended the transition period for beverages manufactured before this date.
Sri Lanka will implement a traffic light coding system for packaged foods in the country, targeting specified levels of sugar, salt and fat content following success of the system’s application to soft drinks in the country.
Thailand is putting together a working group to examine the governance of alcohol-free ‘beers’ being manufactured and produced by traditional beer breweries, in order to avoid these falling through a possible legislative loophole.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) draft on food labelling regulations including controversial traffic light labelling rules will be soon be released for public comment, according to an agency official.
Chinese authorities are trying to reduce the prevalence of fake food by imposing heavier penalties on manufacturers and sellers until "they are made bankrupt".
Malaysia has announced the postponement of its sugar tax implementation date by three months, as well as an increase in the sugar content limit for milk-based beverages.
The food industry in Singapore is generally supportive' of proposals from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to ban all partially hydrogenated oils (PHO), a form of trans fat commonly found in pre-packaged food products, according to a government minister.
Food traceability efforts in China are being hindered by challenges arising from information gaps, the absence of harmonised standards, and the lack of policies to support tracking efforts.
Concerns have been raised over the inclusion of representatives from the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) on boards making crucial decisions within the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), amid claims it is too close to major...
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) has ordered primary, secondary schools, and childcare centres to limit the sales of food and beverage loaded with sugar.
China’s local government will be held accountable for ensuring food safety in their area of administration for the first time, according to a new set of guidelines.
Food industry and academic experts have weighed in on the ongoing endeavours being made to standardise food industry standards in South East Asian region, and the prospects of its success this time around.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) new advertising regulations means that food brands – and any ambassadors who endorse them – are subject to prosecution if their claims are found to be false.
New documentation has highlighted that the New Zealand Ministry of Health is still actively deliberating a sugar tax, even though the government as a whole has already ruled it out.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will be coming up with directives on the labelling of gluten-free products, amid concerns current practices from some manufacturers risk misleading consumers.
Saudi Arabian consumers are becoming increasingly savvy when seeking out food and beverage bargains, and are also demanding new products with a stronger health focus.
At a time when barriers to trade are supposedly being knocked down, a number of South East Asian countries are protecting their own animal protein industries from intra-bloc competition.
The UAE has introduced a new resolution which prohibits the import and re-export of shark meat, with trade now only permitted if the freight forwarder presents the required shipping documents.
The UAE has filed a complaint against Qatar at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), claiming that the latter’s ban against UAE products, including food items, was inconsistent with international laws.
Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has launched the ‘Fat, Sugar and Salt reduction Initiative in Qatar” to cut such content in food and beverages – both locally manufactured goods and those imported.
Fears are mounting that a big chunk of India’s food exports would be hit after suggestions emerged that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would halt billions of dollars of imports because of issues surrounding quality.
There is little evidence to support the idea that eating breakfast promotes weight loss or that skipping breakfast leads to weight gain, according to a review from Australia published in The BMJ.
The Philippines’ lifting of a 20-year old rice import cap is likely to result in some 1.2 million metric tons of rice being imported into the country in the wake of ongoing shortages and price hikes, the National Food Agency (NFA) has said.
Nestle India has shown strong support for the Indian government’s issuance of notices to Google and Facebook, which requested the removal of ‘false and malicious’ news content targeting food safety and quality within the country.
Last week, the UAE Ministry of Education published a list of food items that are no longer allowed for sale in schools, including chocolate, soft drinks and fries.
The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has officially banned the freezing of milk in regular ice factories that are not specifically licensed to do so in an effort to prevent adulteration activities.
Singapore has formally lifted its ban on the sale of food products containing alcohol after 10.30pm, allowing for items such as alcohol-containing ice creams and chocolates to be sold.
The Thai Excise Department is looking at raising the required content of fruits and/or vegetables in juices to a minimum of 20% in order for products to receive an excise tax exemption.