Food safety and hygiene newsletter November 2024

This is an electronic newsletter updating regulations and laws on food hygiene and safety in domestic and international markets, November 2024 issue.

Indonesia

Indonesia to enforce mandatory Halal certification from October 18, 2024, for food importers effective from October 17, 2026

On October 18, 2024, the Indonesian government issued Government Regulation No. GR 42 of 2024 on the implementation of Halal product assurance. According to the Halal Product Assurance Organization (BPJPH) under the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs: the Halal certification obligation will officially take effect for products imported, circulated and traded in the territory of Indonesia, according to the provisions of Law No. 33/2014 on Halal Product Assurance.

The scope of product groups that must comply with this regulation includes:

Food and beverage products
Raw materials, food additives and processing aids
Slaughter products and slaughtering services

For medium and large enterprises producing these 3 product groups, halal certification must be obtained from October 18, 2024. In case of violation, they will face sanctions including written warnings and the possibility of product recall.

For small and micro enterprises, the mandatory implementation will take effect from October 17, 2026. The halal certification requirement for imported products will be determined by the Ministry of Religious Affairs no later than October 17, 2026.

Thus, food enterprises wishing to export to the Indonesian market need to note the mandatory deadline for obtaining halal certification as required. This deadline may be shortened, so enterprises must proactively prepare to meet market requirements.

South Korea

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea (MFDS) announced the revision of the Food Law on November 14, 2024.

This law takes effect from November 15, 2024, except for the group of maximum residue limits for antibiotics in aquaculture and honey which takes effect from January 1, 2026.

The law has the following important changes worth noting:

Establishing and revising the MRL limits of 104 active ingredients of pesticides in food
The antibiotics strychnine, Carbimazole/Thiamazole are prohibited from use; the maximum limit of albendazole is set at 0.03 mg/kg in fish.
Update the ingredient names and add 42 ingredients to the group of used ingredients
Establishing the microbial control threshold for the group of foods sold at the vending machine
Revising the MRL of Ochratoxin A in some products

For details, please see the link: https://www.mfds.go.kr/brd/m_207/list.do

EU

Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2856 of 12 November 2024 amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 relating to the removal of the flavoring substance Benzene-1,2-diol (FL No. 04.029) from the Union list.

On 28 September 2023, the European Food Safety Authority ('the Authority') adopted an opinion on the renewal of the authorizations for Zesti Smoke code 10 (SF-002), Smoke Concentrate 809045 (SF-003), SmokEz C-10 (SF-005) and SmokEz Enviro-23 (SF-006) as the main smoke flavoring products containing Benzene-1,2-diol (FL No. 04.029). Accordingly, the Authority considers that Benzene-1,2-diol (FL No. 04.029) poses a safety concern because its genotoxicity has been determined in vivo when ingested.

According to Article 4, point (a), of Regulation (EC) No. 1334/2008, only flavorings which, based on the available scientific evidence, do not pose a safety risk to the health of consumers may be placed on the market. Therefore, Benzene-1,2-diol (FL No. 04.029) should be removed from the Union list of flavorings.

This regulation will be binding in its entirety and applies directly in EU member countries.

Entry into force: 03/12/2024

Australia

Australia issues regulation APVMA 4 amending Schedule 20 MRLs for certain foods.

On 23 October 2024, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority announced amendments to the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code — Schedule 20 Maximum Residue Limits Variation Instrument APVMA 4, 2024 (Amendment). The amendments will take effect from the date of notification.

Food MRLs have been amended for the following substances: Cyazofamide, Emamectin, Flonicamid, Mefentrifluconazole, Metribuzin.
New food MRLs have been established for the following substances: Cyazofamide, Fluopyram, Isocycloseram, Mesotrione, Methoxyfenozide, Metolachlor, Quinoxyfen.

Active ingredient	Food	Before revision (ppm)	After revision (ppm)
Cyazofamid	Ginger, root	-	0.01
Cyazofamid	Spinach	10	15
Emamectin	Corn cereal	0.01	0.002
Flonicamid	Potato	0.2	0.3
Fluopyram	Sweet potato	0.2	0.02
Isocycloseram	Papaya	-	0.3
Isocycloseram	Citrus fruits	-	0.3
Mefentrifluconazole	Milk	0.01	0.03
Mesotrione	Corn cereal	-	0.01
Methoxyfenozide	Popcorn	-	0.02
Metolachlor	Ginger, root	-	0.5
Metribuzin	Carrot	0.3	0.05
Quinoxyfen	Wheat	-	0.01

For details, see attached link: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L01358/latest/text

This is an electronic newsletter updating regulations and laws on food hygiene and safety in domestic and international markets; Compiled by the Advisory Department of Eurofins Sac Ky Hai Dang based on government official pages of the countries, published every month.

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