We reveal the top 10 most viewed regulation and policy stories from the food and beverage industry in 2021, featuring palm oil and halal in Malaysia, hemp and mustard oil in India, chilled foods in China and more.
Thailand salt tax: Firms failing to reformulate risk increased costs as 2021 implementation expected The implementation of a salt tax in Thailand is still expected to take place sometime in 2021, and this may have cost implications for food manufacturers whose reformulation efforts have not yet caught up, according to a local food industry expert.
Thailand has been discussing the implementation of a salt tax since 2018, and the plan would be to levy this on processed packaged food products in the industry, but not yet on condiments, high-sodium seasonings or other ‘everyday staples’.
The country’s Excise Department, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Finance and Bureau of Tax Planning were still in discussion of this as of last year, but according to Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand (FoSTAT) Chairman Professor Anadi Nitithamyong, the plan has been delayed in favour of caution.