ASEAN REGULATORY

REQUIREMENTS AND
ASEAN HARMONIZATION
(11 DECEMBER 2017)

SHARING KNOWLEDGE 29.01.18

Geographic South East Asia SEA
Consist of 10 countries:
1. ID – Indonesia
2. MY – Malaysia
3. BN - Brunei
4. PH – Philippines
5. TH – Thailand
6. VN - Vietnam
7. SG – Singapore
8. Laos
9. Myanmar
10. Cambodia
TOP 5 PRIORITY TBTs FOR THE FOOD
INDUSTRY TO OVERCOME IN ASEAN

1. Labelling (Nutrition Labelling)

2. Product Registration Halal

Certificate
3. Import/Export Certification

4. Maximum Residue Limits for Contaminants, Pesticide

Residues

5. Analytical Methods

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#1 LABELLING
(NUTRITION
LABELLING)
BACKGROUND

Regulatory heterogeneity in nutrition labelling regulations:

• Different international guidelines followed by Member

countries

• Different stages in adoption/alignment with Codex

• Different regulatory regime

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EXAMPLES OF NUTRITION LABEL

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CHALLENGES

Variances in nutrition labelling (requirements and format):

• Compliance costs
 For industry members

• Information overload
 For consumers

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Economic Impact Assessment on Non-Harmonised
Nutrition Labelling for Trade in ASEAN

SUGGESTIONS – Area to be Streamlined

1. Align:
• Core nutrient list with Codex
• Country-specific NRV (Nutrients Reference Value) with Codex or accept
NRVs from country of origin
2. Adopt:
• Common tolerance level for ASEAN (based on necessity), and adopt
consensus rounding rules and decimal point condition that every ASEAN
country accepts
• Common list of claims for the region and a consensus criteria for the
assessment of scientific substantiation for health claims through a MRA

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 #2 PRODUCT
REGISTRATION
 General Info Product Registration in SEA
  ID MY BN PH TH VN SG HK TW

 1. Product registration mandatory? Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No

 2. Mandatory to place registration# on pack? Yes NA No No Yes Yes * NA NA NA

 3. Validity of registration certificate? 5 yrs NA No expiry 5 yrs No expiry 3 - 5 yrs NA NA NA

 4. Need to renew? Yes NA NA Yes NA Yes NA NA NA

 5. Change registration# after renew? No NA NA NA NA Yes * NA NA NA

Yes, only for

 6. Need to re-register for any amendment? Yes NA Yes Yes reformulation No NA NA NA

 7. Change registration# after amendment? No NA NA NA Yes No NA NA NA

Example registration#:

Indonesia Thailand Vietnam

Soon will be not necessary
Time Line Set (internal reference)

Country Type of registration Timing

New Product with Claim 6 months
Amendment Product with Claim 3.5 months
ID
New product non-claim 4 months
Amendment Product Non-claim 2.5 months
BN All product registration 5 wks
Initial, Local and Imported (Low, Medium and High Risk) 5 months
Renewal, Local and Imported (Low, Medium and High Risk) 5 months
PH
Initial and Renewal, Export (Low, Medium and High Risk) 4 months
Amendment 2 months
TH General product registration (exc. Functional food) 3 wks
Products with Nutrition Claims (Submission in VFA Hanoi) 13 weeks
Local Products (Submission in plant location) 7 wks
VN
Import Products (Submission in VFA Hanoi) 13 wks

Artwork Design Changes (no change to ingredient) 1 month

 KEY DOCUMENTS FOR PRODUCT REGISTRATION IN SEA

ID ID PH PH TH TH VN VN
(local) (import) (local) (import) (local) (import) (local) (import)

CFS, HC, LTO, MoL,

 *   
External/
Food Hygiene

Govmt 
LoA

Formula
     
R&D - Quality

Cert of Analysis
     
Spec (FG-RM)
   
Plant

Cert (halal, ISO,

HACCP, FSSC),COO   *    
Trademark
 
Legal

Agreement, License
   
   
Marketing

Product name Marketing, Marketing,

SARA SARA

Artwork
     
* alternate
 #3 HALAL
CERTIFICATION
BACKGROUND

Lack of a unified Halal standard and certification framework:

• Different Halal requirements

• Different list of recognised foreign Halal certification bodies

• Different recognition mechanism

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CROSS COMPARISON ON THE RECOGNISED
FOREIGN HALAL CERTIFICATION BODIES IN
ASEAN

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CHALLENGES

Variances in halal requirement:

• Impact toward industry members

 Multiple certification
 Change in supplier when there is a delisted halal certification body

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Industry White Paper on Halal Certification and Proposed Mutual
Recognition Agreement on Foreign Halal Certification Bodies in ASEAN

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Mutual recognition amongst halal certification bodies in ASEAN

2. Recognition scope of foreign halal certification bodies to cover cross-
country / overseas halal certification and the acceptance of foreign halal
certification bodies’ halal logo
3. Greater transparency in halal guidelines
4. Sufficient transition time in the event of any delisting of previously
recognised foreign halal certification bodies

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AFBA
INTRODUCTION OF AFBA

• Launched in 2013
• Group of national associations in South East Asia involved in the
manufacture, distribution and sale of food and beverage products

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AFBA MEMBERS

Brunei National Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Darussala Brunei Darussalam (NCCIBD)
m
Indonesia Gabungan Pengusaha Makanan dan
Minuman Indonesia (GAPMMI)
Malaysia Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers
(FMM)
Philippines Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers
(PCFMI)
Singapore Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF)
Thailand Federation of Thai Industries (FTI)
FIA Food Industry Asia

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OPPORTUNITIES IN ASEAN REGIONAL
INTEGRATION
2nd 3rd
Fastest-growing economy Population 7th largesteconomyinthe
GDP2013inUS$trillion
3 largestmarketintheworld
rd
16
Populationinmillion
9.2
CHINA
4.9
1,340
3.7
INDIA 2.8
1,195
2.7
2.4
ASEAN
625 2.2

Fastgrowingeconomy
EU Real GDPGrowth2013(%)
502 7.7
7.7 5.2
USA
310 5.2 5.0

A single market and production base JAPAN 2.2

5.0
128 1.6
A highly competitive economic region Source: ASEANStat, IMF, WB

A region of equitable economic

development
A region fully integrated into the global
economy

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OBJECTIVES OF AFBA

Core Objective:
• Facilitate intra- and extra-regional trade in ASEAN by supporting
and accelerating the ASEAN harmonisation process for the benefit of
small, medium and large enterprises and their consumers in the ASEAN
markets

Ancillary Objective:
• Addressing and raising additional food and beverage industry issues that
have an ASEAN focus and/or impact

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AFBA IN INTERNATIONAL / REGIONAL
HARMONISATION PLATFORMS
PLATFORM
ASEAN Prepared Food Product
Working Group (PFPWG)
ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand
Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA)
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC)
ASEAN Business Advisory Council
(ABAC)
AFBA ENGAGEMENT
AFBA attends industry dialogue with the PFPWG
and is convened to conduct ASEAN SME
Preparedness Survey for the PFPWG.
AFBA was invited as the only ASEAN industry
representative to give recommendations to
the STRACAP Committee.
AFBA was invited to present on the potential
policy options and experience in
addressing the effects of NTMs on food
trade at APEC.
AFBA was invited to attend the meeting of the
ABAC to give recommendations to the
ABAC leaders on specific concerns on
NTMs.
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SUPPORTING HARMONISATION IN ASEAN
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
• Launch of the • SEOM, Bali • RCEP Joint Session Meeting, • ABAC Post-2015 AEC & • FAO regional
ASEAN Food and Bangkok Laos Conference, training with ASEAN
Beverage Alliance • Front of Pack (FOP) Vientiane
(AFBA) Guidelines • 19th PFPWG Meeting, Bangkok • Proposed MRA on
• FTI Food Processors halal certification
• Development of • ASEAN SMEWG • GFSC 2015, KL Club AGM, Bangkok
AEC Scorecard for Dialogue for Post- • 13th AWG-HF
agri-food sector 2015 SAP, Siem • ASEAN Summit & ASEAN • ASEAN MRA for meeting, Singapore
Reap Leadership Forum, KL Inspection and
• Mapping ASEAN Certification on Food • Meeting with ASEAN
nutritional labelling • Lifting-The-Barrier • APFI Knowledge Series, Hygiene for Prepared Secretariat on halal
regulations Initiative (LTBI) Singapore Foodstuff Products MRA
Report
• ASEAN Common • Media interview (Malaysia) • ASEAN General
Food Control • AFBA White Paper Standard for the
Requirements on Harmonisation • World of Food Safety, THAIFEX Labelling of Pre-
(ACFCRs) packaged Foods
• 4 case studies • 14th ASEAN Food Conference,
published as fact Philippines • FAO National Codex
sheets Training Workshop with
• SMF-AVA Annual Dialogue Myanmar
Singapore

• Vitafoods Conference 2015,

Hong Kong
• 2nd ASEAN Consultative
• Food Standard Exchange Work Shop on MRA of
2015, Singapore Good Agricultural
Practices
• 12th Meeting of the AEGFS,
Yogyakarta

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TERIMA KASIH
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