Labeling Update: May 2023
USA: FDA Extends Comment Period for Guidance on Plant-Based ‘Milk’ Labels The U.S. Food and Drug Administrator (FDA) has extended the time for the public to give their comments on the draft guidance for labels on plant-based ‘milk’ alternatives. The draft guidance, called “Labeling of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives and Voluntary Nutrient Statements; Draft Guidance for […]
Sustainability Update: May 2023
EU: Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence During the first reading of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD) proposal, the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), agreed on new rules to integrate human rights and environmental impact into companies’ governance. The indicative plenary vote for the CSDD is scheduled for May 31, 2023. […]
Latest Trade News and Agreements: May 2023
Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement On May 31, 2023, the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement will come into effect, providing Australian farmers with enhanced access to a significant market, and enabling them to expand their customer base. The FTA also grants UK consumers the opportunity to purchase high-quality, sustainable Australian produce alongside their existing domestically produced options. […]
INC Outreach Visit to China
INC co-founder spoke at two major events and toured multiple industrial facilities The INC traveled to China last month for an outreach visit that included a high-profile presence at two important industry events and tours of multiple industrial facilities. The trip served to consolidate ties with China’s nut and dried fruit industry and cement the […]
Marketing Orders
USA: Assessment Rate, California Prunes This rule implements a recommendation from the Prune Marketing Committee to increase the assessment rate established for the 2022-23 crop year. This final rule increases the assessment rate from $0.28 per ton of assessed dried prunes, the rate that was established for the 2020-21 and subsequent crop years, to $0.33 […]
Latest Trade News and Agreements: April 2023
Costa Rica and Ecuador Sign FTA On March 1, 2023, Costa Rica and Ecuador signed a free trade agreement. This FTA intends to establish clear and transparent rules to regulate and promote trade between both countries. More information Israel-UAE Sign Free Trade Agreement Israel and the United Arab Emirates have signed a free trade agreement […]
Food Safety Update: April 2023
Codex Alimentarius, News and Updates The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) is requesting comments on the recommendations of the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues. During the last meeting, the FAO Panel of Experts agreed to review residue and analytical aspects of several pesticides, including data on their metabolism, fate in the environment and […]
Labeling Update: April 2023
Italy: Provisions on the Naming of Food Products Containing Vegetable Proteins A law proposal introduced to the Italian Parliament is seeking to prevent plant-based meat alternatives from using ‘meaty’ names. The provisions of this law proposal apply to food products containing vegetable proteins manufactured and marketed in Italy. More information
Sustainability Update: April 2023
IPCC: Climate Change, Synthesis Report On March 20, 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report. The report summarizes the state of knowledge of climate change, its widespread impacts and risks, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. It integrates the main findings of the AR6 based on […]
CODEX: Maximum Level for Total Aflatoxins in Ready-to-Eat Peanuts
The 15th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF15), which was held in May 2022, agreed to re-establish the electronic working group (EWG) chaired by India and co-chaired by Senegal, to prepare a new proposal for a maximum level (ML) for total aflatoxins (AFT) in ready-to-eat (RTE) peanuts and an associated sampling […]