South Korea’s imports of Health Functional Foods (HFF) saw a decline for the first time in four years, with volumes shrinking 9.5 per cent in the first six months of this year.
The South Korean government has implemented further refinements to its regulations governing imported food products an effort to speed up processing at customs, particularly for bulk imports. well as to boost its international trade.
The South Korean government has announced a new food imports plan to be enforced in 2023 which will involve the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve its monitoring and inspections processes.
China’s reduction of import tariffs, including supplement products such as fish oil soft gel capsules and Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMPs), will make both imports and local production more competitive, according to industry experts.
China imported dietary supplements worth US$2bn, up 32.1%, with a new report highlighting edible bird’s nest and seal oil as categories with big growth.
South Korea has moved to temporarily relax regulatory measures for food imports in view of the global COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, particularly concentrating on documentation and labelling requirements to prevent delays in custom clearance.
South Korea has made Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification mandatory for all foreign food facilities exporting into the country, in an effort to tighten its control over imported food safety hazards.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has revamped the national food code system for all imported foods into the nation in an attempt to achieve more uniformity with the internationally used HS Code system.
The recent coronavirus outbreak originating from animals in China has seen food and beverage authorities and industries worldwide taking steps to prevent spreading or ‘importing’ the virus into their countries – some more aggressively than others.
China is increasingly importing more meat, palm oil and seafood due to the impact of African swine fever (ASF) outbreak, which led to the mass culling of large numbers of its domestic herd.
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.
The Philippines Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has approved a new round of sugar imports into the country, on the back of requests from local food manufacturers such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
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.
UAE-based importer Truebell is offering at least seven new products to the country this year – including tea from the UK and probiotic beverages from Japan.
China had imported considerably more food and beverage products last year, according to its General Administration of Customs (GACC), indicating growing demand for overseas brands.
UAE officials are seeking to drive down imports and boost the country’s production of fresh produce by encouraging more landowners to be involved in agricultural production.
New British beef exports to China – potentially worth millions of pounds – moved a step closer recently, after Chinese officials visited Britain to judge levels of animal welfare and disease control measures.
A drop in Chinese pork production, generating more demand for pigmeat imports, is a boon for Danish pork farmers who are ready to double exports to China.
Thailand’s industry ministry has advised small- and medium-sized food manufacturers to target Myanmar, which has ben witnessing a significant rise in imports from its eastern neighbour.
India’s food regulator has introduced stricter requirements across a number of food safety logistical practices in a bid to prevent sub-standard products from entering the country.
Although China wine market has been booming for some time, the low prices charged by online importers means few leading brokers and retailers have been tempted to enter the business.
With wheat consumption is on the rise in Indonesia, the country might soon be in a position to resolve its self-sufficiency target for rice, according to a new report by Rabobank.
Around 80% of Taiwan's citizens are concerned about food safety problems in the wake of recent scandals, according to the results of a survey released this week.
The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture has “clarified” the blue-skies announcement by its secretary, Proceso Alcala, in which when he said the country would be in a position to stop importing rice next year.
Corn imports to China will hit 20mn tonnes per year by 2017, leading to major reverberations on world markets. This is the likely scenario if current trends in the country’s pork production and industrialisation continue, according to a major study.
A new report by a government agency in the Philippines has revealed, that in spite of increasing its food production capacity, the country still remains a net food importer, giving cheer to multinational players.
Taiwanese food exports are finally free of all border controls in major target markets, with Malaysia being the latest to allow the former’s food products without plasticiser-free certification.
A top agriculture expert has urged Indian scientists to increase their efforts towards locally developing enzymes and microbes for application in food and beverage processing.
Chinese exporters face increasing pressure working with America following the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new re-inspection fees that add the an increasingly complex regulation system, according to a consultant.
Kiwi food processors are up against a new menace in the practice of “parallel imports,” in which local retailers are importing cheaper overseas versions of locally made food products.
A number of Asian countries are to test Japanese food imports for radiation as that country grapples with a nuclear crisis following on from last weekend’s earthquake.
