EU: Updated List of Products and Substances Authorized for Use in Organic Production
On May 26, 2025, the European Commission published Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/973, which amends and corrects the regulation from 2021 that authorizes certain products and substances for use in organic production.
India: Draft Amendment to Vegan Foods Regulation
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has released a draft amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Vegan Foods) Regulations of 2022, proposing modifications to enhance compliance and certification requirements for food products labeled as vegan.
A significant change in the amendment is the introduction of Form-I, which mandates a certification process for vegan food exports. This form must be issued by a recognized authority of the exporting country, ensuring that products labeled as vegan meet regulatory standards. It includes details such as product composition, manufacturing process, storage conditions, and traceability requirements. The amendment also requires separate storage and production lines for vegan and non-vegan products, or thorough cleaning procedures if shared facilities are used.
USA: Webinar on Updated “Healthy” Claim
On April 10, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) organized a webinar providing an overview of the recently updated “healthy” claim on food labeling, under which nuts now qualify to bear the claim. A recording of the webinar is available here.
The FDA is working on the development of a symbol that manufacturers will be able to use on food labeling to show that a product meets the criteria for the “healthy” claim. They have already conducted two rounds of focus groups and an experimental study on a potential “Healthy” symbol.