Global food regulation storm brewing, but opportunities exist

A slew of regulatory developments worldwide will hinder food and drink makers on a global scale, experts have warned.

However, the dire warning is caveated with the potential for opportunities.

An assessment of emerging and evolving regulations covering the UK, EU, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa by Leatherhead Food Research (LFR) showed 12 months of regulatory turbulence last year.

Such disruption would continue into this year and beyond, the UK-based food and drink advisory firm has predicted.

How did food and drink react to regulatory changes?“Findings suggest that many regulatory authorities adjusted their priorities during 2024, placing greater emphasis on the support of their own market needs,” says LFR head of global regulatory Mariko Kubo.

Sustainability was a main driver of regulatory change within the last 12 months, however, there is a fractious global sustainability picture, which was becoming “more nuanced”, says Kubo.

The disparity was distinct when comparing, with the rest of the world, the UK’s and EU’s measures for “environmental sustainability” and “ingredient sustainability” are taking shape.

“The EU’s publication of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) on 22 January 2025, while postponing implementation of the Deforestation-free Product Regulation (EUDR), is a case in point,” says Kubo.

The PPWR is due to come into force soon, impacting restrictions on the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in food contact packaging.

EUDR enforcement will also come into place this year, having been delayed by 12 months in 2024.

Also read → EUDR and the drama of the 2024 u-turnAlso read → Why the EU banned BPAAway from Europe, issues like poor public health, including obesity in Latin America, are opening opportunities for brands as well as causing issues around product formulation and labelling.

In the US, which experienced a quiet regulatory period on 2024, significant changes were announced in January this year.

Already this year, the US’s Food and Drug Administration published food labelling allergen guidance, draft guidance on plant-based meat alternatives labelling, front-of-pack labelling rule proposals and the ban on Red Dye No3 in food and drink on 15 January.

“But, regulatory changes are also paving the way for new commercial developments in some Middle East and Asia Pacific markets, with authorities removing unnecessary barriers to food innovation and independence,” says Kubo.

“Regulations which impact use of technologies such as gene editing and cellular agriculture are highly dynamic in South Korea and Singapore, with Australia consulting on a standards-based approach for all cell-cultured food.”