News

The Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA) has postponed the implementation of Saudi Technical Regulations No. (SFDA.FD 2233) “Nutritional Data Requirements on Food Products Label” until 30/09/2020. This regulation will, therefore, now be enforced from 01/10/2020 onwards.

Details of food regulations for Saudi Arabia may be found at the Saudi Food & Drug Authority website : https://beta.sfda.gov.sa/en/imported-food

A couple of links you may find helpful to keep up to date with business advise from Government relating to the Covid19 crisis: 

 BEIS have just set up a dedicated business focussed website : https://lnkd.in/g9ebxB6

You can also sign up to receive regular updates direct to your inbox: Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Business and Employers Bulletin https://lnkd.in/gTVDCabhashtag  

Food items from the UK may now enter all Dubai and Abu Dhabi ports without the mandatory Arabic labelling requirement and without having to date stamp production dates on mandatory items.  The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change & Environment (MOCCAE) has confirmed that this exemption will be extended to all entry ports in the UAE (including Sharjah and the Northern Emirates) until 30/06/2020.

They will review the situation at the end of this period and will extend it if required.

This change does not apply to spirits as the clearance of spirits is managed by customs authorities. There is no change to requirement of halal certification.

The following information has been provided by  the London offices of the French Ministry of the Economy and Finances in relation to paperwork now required by drivers entering France:-

Controls have been restored at French borders that mean foreigners will be refused entry with certain exceptions, including for workers carrying goods. There are no restrictions on the circulation of trucks, however, drivers must carry the French version of two signed waiver certificates or they will be refused entry.

You can download the required waiver certificates (and unofficial courtesy translations in English) to allow the movement of trucks in France. Drivers must carry these at all time and they must be completed by both the driver and their employer
Download here

1. French personal travel waiver certificate (attestation de déplacement dérogatoire) which must be completed and signed by the driver.

The rise and premiumisation of private label: Sales surpass $143bn, notes Nielsen

Consumers are increasing their spending on private label products and have become "much more willing to splurge on store brands than they would for name brands," according to Nielsen.

Read more at www.foodnavigator-usa.com

Get information on how to prepare your business for Brexit.

Call the helpline to find out about:

• where to find information and guidance on what your business needs to do to prepare for Brexit
• other government helplines that are available to support your business to prepare for Brexit

Business Brexit helpline
Telephone: 0300 2000 900
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Contact the Brexit imports and exports helpline for information about importing and exporting goods after Brexit.

Contact the EU Settlement Resolution Centre helpline if you need help or information about the EU Settlement Scheme.

In Germany, the demand for good quality and organic food is increasing.  Many supermarkets now have a large selection of regional organic products, and increasingly there are unpacked shops and organic speciality stores. EDEKA now also runs its own organic markets. A second branch has now opened not far next to Hamburg in Dinkelsbühl in Middle Franconia.

On October 10th. Two branches of “Naturkind” opened their doors – an offshoot of the supermarket giant EDEKA, which thus also enters the organic business. These are, according to Tagesspiegel, smaller than the usual EDEKA supermarkets and contain up to 7,000 products that are certified organic .

Read more at International Supermarket News

In June, Chinese government officials signed a protocol agreement to ship beef from the UK for the first time in 20 years marking the end of a ban following the BSE outbreak.

Today, approval has been granted for full access in a deal estimated to be worth around £230 million over the first five years.

Four sites have been cleared to export beef in the first instance, with shipments expected to arrive by the end of the year.

Read more at www.ahdb.org.uk

The Food & Drink Federation has published 2019 Half year exports of food and drink:

• H1 2019 exports of food and drink increased by 5.1% (y-o-y) to £11.3bn. This has largely been driven by growth in the value of exports to non-EU countries (+9.8%), with growth over four times that of exports to the EU.
  
  
• The UK's food and drink trade balance has declined, indicating that relative dependence on imports has increased by 0.8% since H1 2018.
  
  
• While year-on-year growth in the value of food and drink exports exceeded 11% in Q1, the second quarter of the year saw a decline on the same period in 2018 (-0.6%). Evidence from members suggests that the figures we reported in Q1 were significantly inflated by the impacts of stockpiling.
  
  
• All of the UK's highest value exported products have grown in H1 2019, with whisky, salmon, wine, gin, and pork increasing by over 10% on the same period last year. Salmon, beef and gin have also all seen volume growth above 10%.
  

Read more at www.fdf.org.uk

The UK Government website is where to find the full list of the trade and mutual agreements signed with non-EU countries.  This includes:

Norway and Iceland  The agreement provides certainty that UK businesses who trade with Iceland and Norway can continue in a no deal scenario, without any additional tariffs.  Read more here

Switzerland - The agreement simplifies trade and allows businesses to continue trading freely, without any additional tariffs. It continues the elimination of duties on the vast majority of goods traded between the UK and Switzerland.   Read more here

 A full list of trade agreements is being regularly updated online and can be viewed at - www.gov.uk