Browse Data and Analysis

The Costa Rican retail sector is growing despite lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, and rising prices. An increasing number of modern supermarkets stock an expanding range of imported products that reflect global and local retail trends, including clean labels, responsible packaging, and organic products.

On June 10, 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued Notification F. No. Std/TF-Vegan Foods/Notif/FSSAI. The notification was published in the Gazette of India - Extraordinary (official gazette) on June 14, 2022.

On June 17, 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued Notification F. No. 1828/Misc. Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 notifying the expanded list of rectifiable labeling deficiencies for imported food products.

In an evaluation of Dutch food policy published on March 29, 2022, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Henk Staghouwer, proposed to explore the possibilities of introducing a meat tax in the Netherlands.

Morocco notified G/SPS/N/MAR/85 on June 10, 2022. An unofficial translation is included in this report. Comments are due no later than August 9, 2022. The notification concerns plants, plant products and other objects.

On June 16, 2022, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) released two draft National Food Safety Standards for maximum residue limits covering a total of 98 pesticides in foods for public comment.

Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, was the 11th largest market for U.S. agricultural exports in 2021 valued at $24.5 billion. Indonesia is party to 14 Free Trade Agreements (FTA), creating tough competition for U.S. agricultural exports. Indonesia’s major FTA partners (i.e., Australia, New Zealand, China, etc.) also benefit from proximity.

Food inflation in Turkey is the highest it has been in decades. Average food prices in May were up 92 percent from a year ago. One of the leading reasons behind higher food prices is the rising cost of on-farm inputs, such as fuel, fertilizer, and feed.

On May 4 and 5, 2022, Venezuela’s National Supermarkets Association held an event entitled “Radiography of the Retail Sector in Venezuela 2022.” The goal of this event was to evaluate the Venezuelan retail sector situation including changes in retail and consumer trends, emerging threats, and new opportunities for growth.

The FAS/Seoul June 2022 Grain and Feed update covers changes to the Korean rice situation since the March 2022 Grain and Feed Annual report. MY 2022/23 rice production will likely decline slightly (1.4 percent) from the previous estimate due to government efforts to avoid overproduction, while consumption and imports are projected to remain unchanged from FAS/Seoul’s initial forecast.

In 2021, the total value of all retail food and beverage (F&B) sales in Japan totaled $467.20 billion, a 2.3 percent decrease over 2020 sales of $478.12 billion. Supermarkets continue to represent the bulk of the retail food market, accounting for 74 percent of the market, with convenience stores, drugstores and internet sales of food and beverages accounting for the rest of the market.

This report outlines specific requirements for food and agricultural products to be imported into Turkey and was prepared by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Office of Agricultural Affairs in Ankara, Turkey for U.S. exporters of food and agricultural products.