The Royal Thai Government Gazette released a notice announcing that the leaves, fibers, branches and roots of industrial hemp and drug cannabis were removed from the ‘list of the fifth category of narcotics.’ This means that industrial hemp will become a new economic crop that can be used for industries such as textile, medicine, and cosmetic manufacturing. But planting must be approved by the relevant government departments and recreational use is still banned.

The draft amendments, open to comments until Feb 8, 2021, focus on individually certified raw materials (such as fructose, starch, and glucose), ingredients added in health functional foods (such as calcium stearate, calcium ascorbate, and magnesium), and updating the standard for converting amino acid scores of proteins.

Manufacturers can input their opinion on whether this plan is needed; the way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of information; and ways to minimize the process.

Products using any of these 5 ingredients should be able to more easily adapt to the Chinese market.

This cultured or cell-based meat, developed in laboratories using animal cells, will be used in nuggets manufactured by a U.S. food technology startup.

It will provide more opportunities for manufacturers of medicinal and therapeutic products.

#India #GMfree: FSSAI announced that the start date of the Non-GM Certification requirement during the Food Cord Importation will be postponed from Jan 1, 2021, to March 1, 2021.

Manufacturers will then be able to use more raw materials. They will also be allowed to leverage newly-authorized feature claims for the promotion of the products.

This draft includes the lists of raw herbal ingredients, and permitted nutraceutical and probiotic ingredients.

Manufacturers can comment it by Jan 24, 2021.

The 3 categories are:
a) Novel food and food ingredients in general
b) Novel foods that are chemically identical to naturally-occurring substances but produced by unconventional processes
c) Cultured meat

Under the new updates, claims such as anti-tumor, auxiliary anti-tumor, anti-mutation, anti-aging, lactation promotion, and improve skin oil secretion are not allowed anymore.

#EU approved the use of Methoxypropylamino Cyclohexenylidene Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate as a UV filter in cosmetic products and authorized a maximum concentration of 3 %, except in applications that may lead to exposure of the end user’s lungs by inhalation.