On April 16, the SPS Vietnam Office issued a document notifying drafts and effective regulations regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures from members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) between April 1 and April 15, 2026. This includes 23 draft notifications for comment and 17 notifications that have officially taken effect.

The SPS Vietnam Office highlighted several noteworthy notifications, such as the EU's draft amendment to Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 (G/SPS/N/EU/940) concerning recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food.

Accordingly, requirements for documentation proving compliance, control, and traceability throughout the supply chain—including goods imported into the EU—will be strengthened. This includes supplemental regulations on Declarations of Compliance at the pre-processing, recycling, and fabrication stages (Declarations P, A, B, and C), as well as requirements for maintaining and providing records upon request by competent authorities and specifying documents to be presented when goods are permitted for free circulation in the EU market. Additionally, the amendment covers the management of electronic registers, the addition of registration statuses and update mechanisms, testing methods for input plastics, and the legal basis for applying TARIC/CN commodity codes to certain recycled plastic products, primarily PET.

The Turkish market notified draft amendments to regulations on wheat flour (G/SPS/N/TUR/157), and bread and bakery products (G/SPS/N/TUR/158) under the Food Codex.

Under these rules, it is strictly forbidden to add dark-coloring ingredients (brown/black) and/or flavorings—such as roasted malt flour, roasted chickpea flour, dark malt extract, or ingredients derived from roasting—aimed at altering the natural color of the products. A transition roadmap was also established, requiring food production and business establishments to comply by September 30, 2026, for wheat flour and by December 31, 2026, for bread and bakery products.

The Australian market announced import conditions for fresh grapefruit from Vietnam (G/SPS/N/AUS/614/Add.1) on the BICON system, based on a biological risk assessment report. Products must be produced using a systems approach at approved growing areas and packaging facilities to control Asian citrus psyllids and citrus canker. Furthermore, pre-export irradiation treatment is mandatory to control quarantine pests such as fruit flies, mealybugs, scale insects, and false red spider mites. Additionally, products must possess an import permit and a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by Vietnam's competent authorities.

Australia also notified an administrative update regarding the templates for phytosanitary and Halal certificates applied to exported meat and meat products, replacing the current export documentation system (EXDOC) with a new system (NEXDOC).

The transition to NEXDOC will lead to changes in the format and placement of information on certificate templates but will not alter the requirements, conditions, or certification content agreed upon bilaterally with importing countries. Electronic certification (eCert) remains unaffected. The new certificate templates will integrate QR codes for real-time shipment verification. Implementation is expected from June 15, 2026; during the transition phase, both EXDOC and NEXDOC systems will be used in parallel to accommodate cargo transit times.

The East African market (East African Community - EAC) notified a group of draft technical regulations (DEAS) for food and agricultural products, including pumpkin seed flour (DEAS 1325), sesame flour (DEAS 1321), corn oil (DEAS 1323), mayonnaise products (DEAS 1320), and sunflower seeds for oil production (DEAS 1322). These standards detail requirements for product quality (organoleptic characteristics, composition, physicochemical indicators), contamination limits (heavy metals like lead and arsenic; mycotoxins such as aflatoxin), pesticide residues according to Codex, and microbiological requirements (E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria).

Specifically for sunflower seeds, the regulations stipulate control over toxic seeds mixed in the shipment (such as jimsonweed, wild oats, and other regulated toxic seeds). It also mandates production hygiene conditions, packaging with suitable materials, labeling, nutritional declarations, and sampling and testing methods according to relevant ISO/EAS standards.

Additionally, South Korea notified a draft amendment to the Regulations on Import Quarantine Requirements for processed animal protein feed derived from poultry (poultry by-product meal, feather meal, etc.) to protect animal health while facilitating trade under the WTO SPS Agreement, applicable to all trading partners.

Specifically, the draft stipulates quarantine requirements for these products upon import and permits the import of products treated with appropriate methods approved by the exporting country's competent authority.

Furthermore, South Korea's draft sets a one-year transition period, allowing continued imports under previous regulations and the use of existing quarantine certificates while consultations with exporting countries regarding the new quarantine certificate templates are finalized. Note: The comment period is 30 days from the date of notification; the period was shortened according to SPS Agreement provisions to promote trade.

Source: Bao dien tu Dan Viet