Myanmar food product notification regime implemented
From 9 May 2024, food product codes can be affixed to pre-packaged foods in line with recent developments in Myanmar to improve food safety under the Ministry of Health’s (“MOH”) Food Product Notification (“FPN”) regime. In this regard, on 14 May 2024, the Department of Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued a guide on how to register under the MOH Food Product Notification portal. The guide is available in the Myanmar language on the FDA website.
These developments implement Notification No. 8/2022 (“Notification”) in which the FDA introduced the FPN regime. Under the Notification, all pre-packaged food must be registered with the FDA and display a food product code on its label. The food product code will be issued during online registration with the FDA which was enabled on 9 May 2024. The label must also include other information including ingredients, as set out in the Notification, and this information must also be provided at the time of registration. The supporting documents required to be uploaded are set out in the Notification. The registration fee for e-submission is MMK10,000 (approximately S$6).
Further to the Notification, compliance with the FPN regime is voluntary during the initial launch period but will transition to become mandatory.