ANSWER

In every industry, changes to either regulation or technology serve as a catalyst for innovation in the other (FIA, 2015).

As China continues to significantly tighten its food safety regulations and ASEAN works towards a harmonised future for food regulations, many companies in Asia are looking at what new technologies they may need to ensure a safe food supply for consumers in the region, and speculating on what these changes might bring (FIA, 2015).

China’s food safety focus

China’s new laws, announced last month (April 2015), are widely considered its toughest food safety laws ever, and will officially take effect from October 2015. Some of the changes include centralising supervision of food production and trading activities under the China Drug & Food Administration (CDFA), greater focus on risk prevention, stricter food ingredient and processing regulations, and tougher penalties for violations (FIA, 2015).

For many companies, this means in some cases they will need to review how they process foodstuffs, innovate in their production processes, and also how they apply better food safety testing measures at the production stage (FIA, 2015).

Reference

Food Industry Asia (FIA). (2015). How Regulation and Technology are Driving Food Safety in Asia.