Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has revealed the scientific basis behind how it plans to work with the food industry to develop the regulation system in Australia and New Zealand until 2023.
Malaysia’s initial plans to implement stricter regulations for all plant commodity export permit applications to Singapore have been put on hold after vehement protests from local fruit and vegetable firms.
From sugar taxes to hemp regulations, here are six major regulation and policy updates to be expected from the APAC food and beverage industry in 2020.
Japan is looking to strengthen intellectual property (IP) control over its premium fruits and vegetables being sold overseas in an effort to stop its high-end agricultural crops from being grown, and ultimately sold as the produce of other countries.
By Rachel Arthur, Elaine Watson, Niamh Michail, Gary Scattergood, Flora Southey
Sugar taxes continue to hit the headlines, so we take a spin around the globe to look at some of the markets where taxes have been introduced or are under debate.
The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) has insisted it will work with social media sites to block all food advertisements that make unvalidated nutritional or health claims, which are in direct violation of the country’s food act.
Foreign food companies seeking registration approval for both plant and animal products in China will need to pass the review of two ‘expert panels’ formed by selected customs officers, as recently emphasised by an updated set of regulations published...
We bring you the most-read policy and regulations stories published throughout the year, featuring developments from India, Malaysia, New Zealand and more.
The Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ) recent banning of products with pure and high caffeine concentrations will not affect non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks and energy drinks, but more stringent import rules may become applicable.
Australian dairy farmers now have a rule book to help them negotiate a fair price for their product with a mandatory Dairy Code of Conduct taking effect from January 1, 2020.
China has published a new list of products that can be accepted for organic certification, which has been enforced with immediate effect. A set of revised organic certification regulations is set to follow by January 1, 2020.
The Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) has opted to control rice imports and prices, even though President Rodrigo Duterte previously said all imports would be halted.
Taiwan FDA has announced amendments to the way vitamins and minerals are labelled in the country, where the main revisions are the vertical format of nutrition labels, and units for nutrient values.
The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has announced tightened food labelling and advertisement standards in a move to strengthen the country’s Food Labelling and Advertising Act, with sugar and other ‘negative content’ claims receiving...
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has just released its new Action Plan for Safe and Quality Milk and Milk Products, with the majority of actions targeted at self-testing or self-monitoring by dairy companies, farmers and consumers.
A Philippines Department of Health (DOH) proposal to impose taxes on high-salt products has been met with vehement opposition with critics claiming it will penalise the poorest in society.
The New Zealand government has finally responded to the country’s Food and Beverage Industry Taskforce on Addressing Factors Contributing to Obesity’s report and its list of 51 recommendations.
China’s revised regulations of the Food Safety Law regulation has been enforced as of December 1, 2019, with a focus on priorities such as enhancing its law enforcement and emphasising the protection of consumers.
Australia and New Zealand ministers have opted to keep implementation of the Health Star Rating (HSR) system by F&B companies voluntary, although stricter guidelines for the governance of sugar, sodium and dairy will be enforced to ‘increase efficiency’.
The Philippines senate is advocating for the development of the country’s sugarcane industry instead of overall deregulation, in the wake of various setbacks that have battered the sector in recent months.
Thailand has proposed a salt tax by targeting processed foods in hopes of curbing chronic disease, but an industry expert has cast doubt on the effectiveness of this proposal.
The Moroccan Parliament is reviewing its 2020 finance bill including introducing a tax on beverages sweetened with sugar, after cancelling last year’s proposed tax due to pressure from manufacturers.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a set of legislations four years in the making, which would see F&B manufacturers banned from selling or promoting foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in or around school premises.
Australia is piloting a new A$500,000 (US$344,000) digital regulatory system for dairy in the state of Victoria, which aims to streamline audit processes and reduce the burden of administrative paperwork, in addition to closely monitoring food safety...
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved an application by Nestle Australia and Nestle New Zealand to reduce the minimum protein requirement for milk-based follow-on formula.
The Australian confectionery sector has called for one of the recommended changes to the Health Star Rating (HSR) system - to remove the energy icon and make star labels compulsory – to be reconsidered, claiming this could lead to its products appearing...
The Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) of Japan has included almonds to its current list of food ingredients that are recommended for clear display on processed and other food labels after a survey revealed it as the third-highest cause of nut-related allergies...
Indonesia is enforcing its new halal certification, with food and beverage the first area of focus as the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) takes over from the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI).
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has issued a statement calling for public comment on the draft pregnancy warning label, which is to be included as a mandatory requirement on packaged alcoholic drinks with 1.15% alcohol by volume or more.
Tea Board India has warned manufacturers and sellers of tea and related products that adulterating teas with any form of artificial colouring will see legal action being enforced, stating that there is ‘no provision’ of any sort for using colour in tea.
Coca-Cola Amatil has voiced its support for the New Zealand government’s new bottle return scheme which aims to ‘recharge’ the country’s recycling system.
The Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has prosecuted 31 food and beverage manufacturers for adulteration under the National Security Act (NSA), following test results that revealed just 54% of all food samples tested so far to be safe for consumption.
The Philippines Senate House Committee on Ways and Means expressed ‘dismay’ over the payout of sugar taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act to the ‘intended beneficiaries’ within the sugar industry, particularly sugar farmers.
A ban on all junk food advertising before 9pm has been recommended in Malaysia, with an obesity prevention experts claiming it will complement the health effects of the country’s recently-implemented sugar tax.
Singapore is set to introduce mandatory colour-coded front-of-pack nutrition label and ban advertising for pre-packaged sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), a move that has caused the industry to voice doubts, while health policy experts have welcomed the...
The Philippines Senate panel has recommended that a bill to increase taxes on alcohol and other ‘sin’ products under Phase 2 of the controversial TRAIN law be passed, amidst government lauding of the first phase’s success.
The food and beverage industry in Indonesia is expected to play a ‘huge’ role in the South East Asian nation’s ambition to become the world’s fourth-largest global economy by the year 2050, with technology and innovation initiatives expected to drive...
Japan will implement a 2% increase in consumption taxes for alcohol starting October 1 this year, creating a potential grey area where it is used an ingredient in food products.
Prepared and packaged foods are one the five key categories identified by an India-World Bank collaborative programme to boost the nation’s food manufacturing sector, which has now moved to the cabinet approval stage.
The food and beverage industry in Australia has expressed ‘full support’ for the addition of information about added sugar onto food and beverage labels – but want this to be consistent with the Health Star Rating (HSR) system to avoid negatively affecting...
In a move to reduce consumption of unhealthy products and prevent chronic diseases, the UAE Government will impose a fresh 50% excise tax on a raft of products containing added sugar or sweeteners, with officials hoping it will reduce consumption of ‘unhealthy...
Taiwan FDA has drafted guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for health supplements, which is expected to help smoothen export procedures for locally-made health supplements.
Top tips, and the major pitfalls to avoid, when trying to crack China’s fast-growing probiotics market will be the topic of a keynote presentation at our forthcoming Probiota Asia Summit in Singapore.
New Zealand supermarket chain Countdown has banned the sale of energy drinks to under 16s, with its 180 outlets requiring young customers to present their ID when seeking to make purchases.
