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Japan’s National Tax Agency (NTA) proposed 9 new geographical indications (GIs) for alcoholic beverages from the United Kingdom. NTA will accept public comments on the proposal through January 16, 2023.

This year ATO Osaka organized various promotional activities across western Japan, utilizing print, television, and radio media to reach 15 million consumers (excluding social media). ATO Osaka partnered with local foodservice establishments to promote U.S. beef, pork, cheese, peppers, fruits, nuts, and other ingredients via special menu promotions.

Bite size local news, Post reports and activity summaries wrapped by ATO Hong Kong. In this issue: ATO Concludes 2022 Delicious USA Campaign; Hong Kong Scraps COVID-19 Mandatory Contact-Tracing App and Movement Restrictions on International Arrivals

The United States is among the top five suppliers of distilled spirits to the Philippines, supplying mostly whiskey. Philippine importation of U.S. distilled spirits in 2021 dropped to $4.6 million, 42 percent lower than the pre-pandemic level.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs’ Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH) held the Halal 20 (H20) Forum in Semarang, Indonesia in November 2022. The forum covered a wide range of halal related issues and representatives from foreign embassies and 99 foreign halal certifying agencies (HCAs) joined in the discussions. This report summarizes some of the key points of the event.

In the past year, Hong Kong did not have any policy changes to regulations pertaining to genetically engineered (GE) products, while monitoring the development of synthetic biology. Hong Kong does not maintain specific regulations for GE products, which are subject to the same food regulations of conventional foods.

Export prices decreased one percent despite the continued strengthening of the Thai baht.

Ethanol consumption in Australia is forecast to remain stable in 2022 at only 1.1 percent of the gasoline pool, and biodiesel is forecast to increase moderately from very low levels but remain at less than 0.1 percent of the total diesel pool. Australia has very large feedstock (grains and molasses) supplies for bioethanol as well as robust supplies of feedstock (canola, tallow and used cooked oil) for biodiesel production.

From January – September 2022, U.S. agricultural and food exports to Hong Kong declined 16 percent to $1 billion compared to the same period last year. During this same period, Hong Kong’s ranking as a U.S. agricultural and food export market slid from 15th in 2021 to 25th in 2022. However, the city held its rank as the 7th largest export market for U.S. consumer-ready food products.

This year ATO Osaka organized USA pavilions at three trade shows in Japan. In July, the ATO exhibited for the first time at FOODEX Kansai, the western Japan version of the USDA-endorsed show held in Tokyo every March. In August, the ATO returned to the Japan International Seafood Show for the first time in three years.

The return of international visitors to Japan has started to offer glimpses of positive economic activity among the hotel and restaurant industries. Hotels experienced guest stay increases of 32.5 percent year over year, to 42.1 million, up 5.8 percent compared to October 2019.

Since the previous report, Taiwan has granted new approvals for imports of genetically engineered (GE) products for processing, food, and feed use. Taiwan has never permitted domestic production of GE crops or animals. In 2021, Taiwan imported close to $1.2 billion of U.S. GE crops including soybeans, corn, and cotton, accounting for 30 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports to the island.