Global Food Regulation Highlights | September 2023

To help food business stakeholders to navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape in the global food industry, ChemLinked presented Global Food Regulation Highlights, a monthly report which delivers major and general regulation dynamics all around the world. Find out what's new on food regulation worldwide in September of 2023 below:

China 

On September 25, 2023, National Health Commission (NHC) and State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) jointly released No. 6 announcement, enacting 85 new national food safety standards and 3 amendment lists to existing ones. Of the new standards, 3 pertain to food products, 5 to food manufacturing and operations, 6 to food contact materials and articles, 55 to testing methods and 16 to specification of food additives and nutrition fortification substances. These standards will come into force in 2024. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in China:

• China Publishes a Mandatory Standard on the Packaging of Edible Agricultural Products

• China Consults on Amino Acid Management on Foods for Special Dietary Uses

• China Prioritizes Review and Approval for FSMP for Rare Diseases

• China Customs Rejected 229 Batches of Imported Food in August 2023

• China Consults on 16 GB Standards on Testing Methods of Veterinary Drug Residues in Food

• China Seeks Public Comments on Revision of GB 29924-2013 General Standard for the Labeling of Food Additives

• Taiwan to Amend Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Plants or Plant Products

South Korea 

As the provisions related to digital inspection on imported foods became effective on September 14, 2023, the foods with low risks can undergo a digital inspection. The digital inspection system can automatically inspect the documents and issue a certification of import declaration confirmation if the products comply with Korean laws. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in South Korea:

• Data Recap for Korea's Imported Food Status in H1 2023

• South Korea Consults on the Food Additive Code

• South Korea Revises the Food Additive Code

• South Korea Newly Designates One Prohibited Substance in Foods (283 kinds in total)

• South Korean Consults on the Enforcement Rule and Enforcement Decree of Food Sanitation Act

• OEMs of Imported Foods are Allowed to Choose a Flexible Hygiene Assessment Cycle

• South Korea Consults on the Enforcement Rule of Livestock Product Sanitation Management Act

• [Data updated] South Korea Health Functional Ingredient Recognition: Recap and Analysis

• [Updated] South Korea Updates the Functional Ingredient Recognition Guideline

Japan 

On September 14, 2023, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan issued No. 495230156 amendment, targeting to revise the standards for nine pesticides and veterinary drugs. The details are as follows:

(1) Revise the maximum residue limits of seven pesticides and veterinary drugs, such as Iprodione and Cyphenothrin.

(2) Eliminate all existing limits for the veterinary drugs, namely, Clostebol and Tribromsalan in food products and replace them with a uniform standard of 0.01mg/kg.

(3) Designate Bismuth subnitrate as exempted substance, exempting from establishing maximum residue limits in food products. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in Japan:

• Japan Publicly Solicits Opinions on the Evaluation of Three Food Safety-related Substances

• Japan Publishes List of Non-compliant Imported Food: 63 Food Items Involved

Southeast Asia 

In early September, Indonesia food and drug administration (BPOM) published No. 22 of 2023 on Raw Materials Prohibited in Processed Food and Ingredients Prohibited from Use as Food Additives, as a replacement of BPOM Regulation No. 7 of 2018 on Prohibited Raw Materials in Processed Foods. For locally-produced and imported processed food products, they shall not contain any listed substances. The new regulation came into force on August 15, 2023. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in Southeast Asia:

• Singapore Amends Food Regulations 2023, Targeting Non‑RTE Food

• Philippines Adopts New Dietary Standards for Prepackaged Processed Foods

• Vietnam Amends, Supplements and Annuls a Number of Legal Documents on Food Safety Issued by the Minister of Health

• Indonesia Sets New Safety and Quality Requirements for Health Supplements

• Indonesia Unveils New Regulation on Processed Food Registration

India 

On September 14, 2023, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a press release, stating that it has taken stern actions against Food Business Operators (FBOs) found violating food safety laws. Since April 1, 2023, a total number of 1,411 prosecution cases have been initiated. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in India:

• FSSAI Issued Direction for Keeping in Abeyance the Compliance of Quality Parameters "Alcoholic Acidity" and "Total Dietary Fibre" in Some Types of Flour

• FSSAI Issued Direction Regarding Re-Operationalization of the Standards of Crude Solvent Extracted Corn (Maize) Oil

EU 

On September 1, 2023, EU added the following products into the list of composite products exempted from official controls at border control posts: certain spreads and preparations for making beverages containing cocoa; certain prepared foods obtained from cereals or cereal products; certain prepared foods obtained from rice and other cereals; certain chips and crisps; and certain sauces and condiments. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in EU:

• EU Amends on Maximum Residue Levels of Pesticides in or on Food and Feed

• WTO notifications from EU: To Amend Maximum Residue Level of Certain Pesticide; Establishing Harmonised Specifications for the Marking of Products that Come Into Contact with Water Intended for Human Consumption; To Amend the Introduction of Restrictions on Theuse of Certain Flavouring Substances

UK 

England is consulting on updating the voluntary guidance on low-alcohol descriptors, to increase substitution of alcoholic drinks with alcohol free or low-alcohol (NoLo) alternatives. The use of descriptors is voluntary, but if they are used, the guidance currently sets out recommended conditions for their use. For example, the term “alcohol free” should only be applied to a drink from which the alcohol has been extracted if it contains no more than 0.05% ABV, and the products should also include the ABV (or state that they contain no alcohol) on the label in order to use the descriptor. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in UK:

• UK Publishes the Environmental Protection (Plastic Plates etc. and Polystyrene Containers etc.) (England) Regulations 2023

• The Wine (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2024

America 

On September 21, 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued the Commodity Specification For Frozen Vegetables (Latest Version), which was implemented from the date of publication. The main provisions are focus on whole green beans, broccoli florets and sliced carrots, including individual weight, characteristic colors, peroxidase testing, labeling and packaging. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in America:

• U.S. Revises the Residue Limits for Three Substances in a Variety of Food Products

• U.S. Seeks Public Feedback for Proposed Updates to Regulations for Residues of Pesticide Chemicals in or on Various Commodities

Canada 

On September 13, 2023, Health Canada unveiled NOM/ADM-0207 with immediate effect, modifying the List of Permitted Food Enzymes to enable the use of saccharomyces cerevisiae LALL-LI in bread, flour, whole wheat flour and unstandardized bakery products. The requested maximum level of use for this food enzyme is Good Manufacturing Practice. (Read More)

More regulation highlights in Canada:

• Canada Approves the Use of and Iodine and L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine in Supplemented Foods

• Canada Proposes the Buffer Zone Between the FOP Nutrition Symbol and the Supplemented Food Caution Identifier or Between Nutrition Symbols

• Canda Proposes MRLs for Mefentrifluconazole, Pydiflumetofen and Difenoconazole in Multiple Food Products

Australia and New Zealand 

On September 25, 2023, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) announced to approve variations arising from 3 applications, namely:

(1) A1264 – Food derived from drought-tolerant and herbicide-tolerant soybean line IND-00410-5

(2) A1265 – 2'-FL DFL, LNT, 6'-SL sodium salt and 3'-SL sodium salt for use as nutritive substances in infant formula products 

(3) A1266 - Endo-1,4-beta-xylanase from GM Trichoderma reesei (gene donor: Fusarium verticillioides) as a processing aid 

Notably, FSANZ permitted the voluntary use of four human-identical milk oligosaccharide (HiMO) ingredients, alone or in combinations, as nutritive substances in infant formula products.

More regulation highlights in Australia and New Zealand:

• FSANZ Calls for Comments on Food Derived from Herbicide-tolerant and Insect-protected Corn Line DP915635

• MPI Issued Proposed Amendments to the Animal Products Notice: Production Supply and Processing

• FSANZ Calls for Submissions on a Proposal to Clarify and Define Added Sugars for the Purposes of Making Claims About Food Products

• MPI Issued Grain and Seeds for Consumption, Feed or Processing

• FSANZ Calls for Submissions on the Use of Cellulase from GM Aspergillus Niger as a Processing Aid in Alcoholic Drinks

• Australia Is Progressing on International Agreement with the European Union on Organic Goods

To ensure the timely responding to the regulation changes and updates, also to avoid the negative impact on food market access and business operation, it is highly recommended to contact us for customized risk alert & monitoring report service, which allows you to track the regulation dynamics for the certain food categories and certain markets. You may click the sample of regulatory monitoring report for more details.

More Editions of Global Food Regulation Highlights in 2023：

• Global Food Regulation Highlights | August 2023
  

• Global Food Regulation Highlights | July 2023
  

• Global Food Regulation Highlights | June 2023
  

• Global Food Regulation Highlights | May 2023

• Global Food Regulation Highlights | April 2023

• Global Food Regulation Highlights | March 2023
  

• Global Food Regulation Highlights | February 2023

• Global Food Regulation Highlights | January 2023