GAIN Reports from October 6, 2022

The following GAIN reports were released on October 6, 2022. _______   China: Ag Food Quality and Safety Law On September 2, 2022, the National People's Congress (NPC) published an updated Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Though domestically focused, some articles of the law hold the potential to impact trade, including sections on cold chain logistics and traceability. The law, which will enter into force on January 1, 2023, replaces the current law of the same title, which was issued in 2006. A draft of the updated law was published for public comment in October 2021 but was not notified to the WTO.   China: Agriculture for a Better Future - FAS China's FY 22 Climate Outreach Initiative To promote a greater dialogue with the People's Republic of China (PRC) on issues related to climate, the FAS offices in China launched "Agriculture for a Better Future," a series of social media posts on U.S. Mission to China social media platforms. The 13-part series, which featured remarks by Secretary Vilsack and U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, highlighted the work being carried out by U.S. farmers, ranchers, USDA, and cooperator partners to address climate change and sustainable agricultural production practices. The series received over 4.7 million views and generated 33,000 impressions across the Mission's three social media platforms.   China: Decree 248 Product List Update The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) recently made updates at the end of September 2022 to the list of products subject to Decree 248, removing 100 and adding 148. An updated spreadsheet of the products subject to Decree 248 is attached. Sorghum has been removed from the product list and additions include some infant foods, dried mushrooms, pine nuts, spices, and dairy products. Exporters should insure that their facilities are properly registered with GACC before shipping to China.   El Salvador: Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Country Report In El Salvador there is no specific food law. However, the Ministry of Health's (MINSAL) Health Code is used to enforce food safety for all food and beverage products. MINSAL is in charge of food and beverage product registration. Animal based products and fresh produce are regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture (MAG). The Consumer Protection Law is enforced by the Consumer Protection Agency (DDC). Food safety norms are becoming more strict and sometimes lead to the creation of non-tariff barriers.   El Salvador: Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Export Certificate Report This report provides examples for the major export certificates and other documents required by the government of El Salvador for U.S. exports of food and agricultural products. Please note, El Salvador's import requirements change frequently, and are often subject to discretionary decisions at the point of entry.   European Union: European Food Safety Authority Updates Recommendations for Transport of Farm Animals One of the goals of the EU's Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy is to enhance the EU's animal welfare legislation. The enforcement of existing legislation on animal welfare during transport has proven difficult in past years. At the request of the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a set of scientific opinions with suggestions for new legislative initiatives to improve animal welfare during the transportation of cattle, small ruminants, equidae, pigs and farm birds and rabbits.   European Union: EU Early Alert - Pesticide Review - September 2022 The European Union (EU) follows a complex, rolling system of review for active ingredients and Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) in food. For agricultural inputs, U.S. farmers must know early in the process of review to prevent or mitigate the loss of, and/or access to, chemical inputs. The information in this document provides interested stakeholders with advance notice of those active ingredients under review, highlighting those substances undergoing new restrictions or may not be renewed. This is a quarterly update from August 2022 and includes a link to the consolidated version as well.   European Union: Sugar Semi-annual Total EU27 sugar production for MY 2022/23 is forecast at 16 million metric tons (MMT), a decrease of 330,000 metric tons (MT) from MY 2021/22. This is the fifth consecutive year that the EU internal sugar production cannot meet domestic sugar consumption. While the total EU sugar consumption is stable at 17 MMT, the deficit is forecast to increase to 1 MMT, with imports in MY 2022/23 forecast at 2 MMT against 1.3 MMT of exports. EU sugar stocks will decrease to 1 MMT at the end of MY 2022/23. With EU sugar spot prices above €1,000/MT at the end of MY 2021/22, many small food processing companies face difficulties sourcing sugar. While this market situation makes bioethanol production from sugar beet unattractive, isoglucose producers fail to benefit from this situation as high grain and energy prices also keep processing margins unattractive. Also, the new Common Agricultural Policy starts on January 1, 2023, and it is remains to be seen if EU sugar production will recover.   Germany: Food Service - Hotel Restaurant Institutional With more than 83 million of the world's wealthiest consumers, Germany is the largest market for food and agricultural products in the European Union. The German market offers good opportunities for U.S. exporters of consumer-oriented food and agriculture products, particularly nuts, fish and seafood products, dried fruits, bakery products, and organic products. German food service sales slightly increased by 0.6 percent in 2021. The loosening of COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants and other businesses was the primary reason for this increase. However, despite this recovery, HRI spending has been slow to recover to pre-pandemic levels.   Japan: Japan 251st Food Safety Group Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) proposed revisions to Japan's maximum residue levels for 7 agricultural chemicals (Fludioxonil, Flutriafol, Isopyrazam, Pyraziflumid, Pyridalyl, Trinexapac-ethyl and Zoxamide) for various agricultural commodities. Interested U.S. parties should submit their comments to PlantDivision@usda.gov for plant products and to TFAA.FAS.AnimalDivision@usda.gov for animal products by October 18, 2022.   Mexico: Food Service - Hotel Restaurant Institutional In 2021, exports of U.S. agricultural and related products to Mexico totaled $25.5 billion. In spite of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and logistical challenges, Mexico remained one of the most consistent markets for U.S. food and agricultural exports, especially for foodservice products. Mexico continued to maintain its open-door policy and welcomed 31.8 million international tourists in 2021, which boosted its hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) industries following a sharp decline in 2020. The HRI sectors also benefitted in 2021 due to widespread COVID vaccinations, fewer mobility restrictions, and evolving COVID-related sectoral adaptations like flexible operating hours, delivery-only restaurants (dark kitchens), and menu changes. Mexico's HRI sectors are rapidly recovering and will achieve pre-pandemic levels of growth soon. For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit gain.fas.usda.gov/. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. 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