Indonesia palm oil export curbs: An open door for Malaysia?
In the face of Indonesia’s new export controls over commodities such as palm oil, does Malaysia have what it takes to take over as the sector’s new superpower?
Prime Minister of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto announced on May 20 this year that Indonesia will be routing several of its key commodity exports via a state-owned enterprise in order to regain better control over the sales profits from these.
Any producer market that may be able to step into Indonesia’s shoes and increase its palm oil exports without requiring companies to go through an additional state-owned facility would arguably stand in good stead to capitalise on these latest developments.
SWIFT reforms: India’s push for food safety and traceability
India’s recent reforms span ingredient restrictions and digital trade systems aimed at strengthening food traceability and supporting domestic and global trade.
Through initiatives such as SWIFT 2.0 and tighter controls on ingredient sources, regulators are strengthening oversight across food supply chains to reduce contamination risks, improve traceability, and protect product integrity.
UAE’s Nutri-Mark nutrition labelling system goes digital
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has launched an app to bring its national nutritional labelling system to the next level
The Nutri-Mark front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) system was approved by the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) in 2025, making history as the first labelling system of its kind in the Middle East.
Will India’s Sugar Export Ban Shake Up Global Food Markets?
The sugar export ban was announced to a lot of international concern, but real impacts are likely to be lopsided globally. Here’s why
In May, the Indian government responded by banning nearly all sugar exports from the country until 30 September.
Reports in June suggested India’s withdrawal from the global sugar market may even last for a further three years as weather risks and soaring demand from the biofuels sector risk putting India in trade deficit.
Fair pricing and sustainable diets: Safeguarding Japan’s food security
Japan has amended its Food System Act to introduce cost-based pricing benchmarks as concerns grow over the long-term resilience of its food system.
In a bid to strengthen its food security, Japan has amended the Food System Act to deter below-cost transactions.
The Act introduces “cost indicators” to provide clear benchmarks for appropriate costs in price negotiations and establishes a framework for creating these indicators at each stage of the food supply chain, from production to retail.
