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15 February, 2018

February 15, 2018

Dear Madam/Sir,

As per Public Notice 59/2015-2020 dated 9 February, 2018 (Click Here) issued by the DGFT description of export item in Textile product SION J-290 has been amended.

The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published following:
- Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2018 dated 12 February, 2018 (Click Here). This notification amends the requirement relating to shelf life of imported product at the time of port clearance and provision for certificate of sanitary export from authorized agencies in exporting countries for the categories of food.
- Direction under Section 16 (5) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 dated 12 February, 2018 (Click Here) regarding prohibition of use of Potassium bromate in any food article.
- FSSAI recognizes National Food Testing Laboratory, Thimphu, Bhutan for analysis of Sample under Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011. The test analysis certificate issued by the National Food Testing Laboratory, Bhutan shall be accepted by the authorities in India dealing in food import dated 6 February, 2018 (Click Here).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests of Bhutan has published notice dated 14 February, 2018 (Click Here) prohibiting the slaughter of animals, import and sale of meat from 16 February, 2018 to 17 March, 2018 coinciding with the first month of the Bhutanese calendar which is in accordance with the Section 16.5 of the Livestock Act of Bhutan 2001.

The Ministry of Public Health, Thailand published Notification of the Food and Drug Administration regarding guidelines for use of probiotic microorganisms in food dated 8 February, 2018 (Click Here).

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Malaysia published Biosafety (Sampling Procedures) Regulation, 2018 dated 14 February, 2018 (Click Here) pertaining to submission of any sample of any organism or product that is suspected of being or containing living modified organism or product of such organism for analysis.

The Government of Vietnam has issued the Decree No. 20/2018 / ND-CP dated 5 February, 2018 (Click Here) promulgating the regulation on organization and operation of Vietnam National Chemical Group (VINACHEM). The main function of the Group is to produce and trade in fertilizers and pesticides; mining and processing minerals as raw materials for fertilizer and chemical production; rubber processing industry; Production and trading of basic chemicals, consumer chemicals, pharmaceutical chemistry, petrochemicals; Designing chemical industry; Importing and exporting materials and equipment.

Health Canada published a notice of modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives dated 9 February, 2018. (Click Here) to enable the use of Nisin as an antimicrobial preservative in or on various foods.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) published Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Instrument No. 4 (MRL Standard) Amendment Instrument 2018 (No. 2) dated 14 February, 2018 (Click Here). It amends the MRLs of agricultural and veterinary chemicals and associated substances in food commodities and MRLs for pesticides in animal feed commodities for certain compounds.

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Australia (DAWR) published following:
- Notice No. 15-2018 dated 14 February, 2018 (Click Here) pertains to implementing a mandatory requirement that all consignments of cut flowers and foliage that are allowed to be imported into Australia are free of live quarantine pests and that this is endorsed on a phytosanitary certificate from the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of the exporting country. This new import condition will commence from 1 March, 2018.
- Notification of changes to the import conditions for Dairy dated 7 February, 2018 (Click Here).

The Food and Drug Administration Department of South Korea published Prime Ministerial Decree No. 1442 on 9 February, 2018 (Click Here) amending Enforcement Regulation of Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management.

The South Korea Drug Policy Division published Decree No. 1441 on 9 February, 2018 (Click Here) amending Enforcement Regulations of the Act on the Management of Narcotic Drugs (abbreviated as the Enforcement Regulation of the Narcotics Control Act)

The Government of Denmark published following:
- Executive Order of the Medicines Act prescribing import requirements published on 10 February, 2018 (Click Here).
- Order on the use of chemical substances and mixtures of pesticides prescribing import requirements published on 14 February, 2018 (Click Here).

The United Kingdom published following:
- Scottish Instrument 2018 No. 56 (C. 6) published on 12 February, 2018 (Click Here) regarding The Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2018. These changes will come into force from 1 April, 2018.
- Instrument 2018 No. 154 published on 8 February, 2018 (Click Here) regarding The Novel Foods (England) Regulations 2018. This regulation will come into force from 8 March, 2018.

The European Union published following:
- Regulation (EU) 2018/199 published on 9 February, 2018 (Click Here) refusing to authorise a health claim made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’’s development and health.
- Regulation (EU) 2018/192 published on 8 February, 2018 (Click Here) amending Annex VII to Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 referring laboratories in the field of contaminants in feed and food.
- Regulation (EU) 2018/184 published on 7 February, 2018 (Click Here) amending Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 as regards the extension of the approval periods of the active substances FEN 560 (also called fenugreek or fenugreek seed powder) and sulfuryl fluoride.
- Regulation (EU) 2018/185 published on 7 February, 2018 (Click Here) amending Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 as regards the conditions of approval of the active substance penflufen.

The Government of Russia published following dated 8 February, 2018:
- Decree No 125 (Click Here) amended resolution on the establishment of a ban on the admission of certain types of goods of furniture and woodworking industries originating from foreign countries for procurement purposes to ensure state and municipal needs.
- Decree No 128 (Click Here) approved the Rules of Control in the places of production, processing and shipment of quarantine products intended for importation into Russia from foreign countries, in which the distribution of quarantine objects was revealed.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) published decision no 21 on 7 February, 2018 (Click Here) updated lists of standards to the technical regulations of "Requirements for the safety of food additives, flavors and technological auxiliaries" (TR TS 029/2012). It contain safety requirements to detect elevated levels of lead, cadmium, zinc, copper and iron in products with atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave decomposition.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established tolerances for residues of Rimsulfuron (Click Here) in or on various commodities dated 12 February, 2018.