On June 12, 2019, the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS) announced the publication of the 1st edition of Vietnamese Standard TCVN 12380:2018: Raw cashew nut (RCN) – Technical requirements.

The second edition of the INC Academia, Executive Program on Nuts and Dried Fruits, closed on May 21, 2019, with a total of 51 students from 25 countries, 21% more than in the previous edition. With this success, the INC Academia continues to grow as the education program for food industry professionals to learn about the basics of the nut and dried fruit business.

At the conference, titled “Nuts as part of a healthy diet: evidence and insights from research”, Prof. Linda Tapsell, Senior Professor of School of Medicine of the University of Wollongong, Australia, talked about different health topics in relation to nut consumption and the scientific evidence to date.

This year, the Scientific Seminar invited an expert on allergy as a guest speaker: Dr. Vicki McWilliam, Clinical Allergy Dietitian and Researcher at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute of Melbourne, Australia.

A new draft Regulation as regards the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for chlorate in or on certain products will be discussed by EU Member States at the Standing Committee meeting of June 13-14, 2019.

On May 29, 2019, the European Commission issued the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/890 of 27 May 2019 imposing special conditions governing the import of groundnuts from Gambia and Sudan and amending Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 and implementing Regulation (EU) No 884/2014.

The EU launched an evaluation to examine the impact of the trade-related rules in the EU-Central America Association Agreement signed in 2013 with Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Salvador.

India has extended by 30 days for the ninth time in a row the imposition of higher customs duties on 29 products imported from the US, including almonds and walnuts.