Stabilising trade amid COVID-19: Supplements competition to intensify in China with 46 new CBEC zones
China’s addition of 46 cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) pilot zones will lead to the further influx of imported dietary supplements, with the healthy competition between local and imported goods helping to raise the bar for China’s domestic industry, according to a leading industry body.
On April 7, the Chinese government, during state council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, have agreed to add 46 CBEC pilot zones to the existing 59 zones.
“Tackling the economic impact of the outbreak abroad is a pressing task. With the tight containment measures introduced across countries, foreign trade and investment is persistently going downward,” Premier Li said.
COVID-19 in India: AYUSH Ministry seeks scientific validation of traditional medicines after initial backlash
India’s Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) is aiming to put a stop to false claims for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 by setting up a task force to evaluate products and practices.
Earlier, the Ministry of AYUSH published an advisory suggesting the use of alternative medicines can act as an immunity booster against COVID-19.
Since then, the Ministry has received flak from researchers and medical practitioners who criticised this advisory for the lack of scientific data, citing it as ‘inappropriate’, ‘misleading’ and ‘potentially dangerous.’
Taiwan FDA seeks public consultation on health foods safety testing guidelines
The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) is seeking public consultation on new changes made to the safety assessment methods of health foods products.
The proposed changes are being made to the existing guidelines, which have been in place since 1999.
Three key changes have been proposed, a regulatory consultancy firm told NutraIngredients-Asia.
Transition period: Children’s complementary foods firms granted more time to meet new Indian standards
The FSSAI has allowed children’s complementary foods companies holding the proprietary license to renew their licenses for a further 12 months, in order to provide more time to meet new standards.
The decision was made after receiving requests from food business operators (FBOs) to allow them to have a transition period. Renewals can be made until the end of June.
The additional transition period will also allow them to have the time to reformulating their children’s complementary foods to the new standards, as well as clearing the existing inventory.
China’s sports nutrition production: Jiangsu the latest province to pass down guidelines
The Jiangsu authority has released a set of guidelines on the production of sports nutrition food in the province, following the footsteps of other Chinese cities such as Beijing.
The guidelines are applicable to companies manufacturing the sports nutrition products in the province.
The regulations have come into effect from March 30. The provincial government first conducted a public consultation on the drafted regulations last September.