Overview

Regulators in Australia and New Zealand were active on two fronts in the first half of October. On trade, Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) issued notices on kava imports, the start of Indonesia's mandatory halal certification for Australian exports, pufferfish controls and shipping rules for Oman. On standards, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) approved cell-cultured duck, opened consultation on a new processing enzyme, and took on applications for mushroom-derived chitosan and a fungal mycelium. New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) published its adoption of recent Food Standards Code amendments.

The developments with the most direct bearing on flavor and ingredient businesses are the Indonesia halal requirements, the cell-cultured duck decision, the kava rules and the FSANZ ingredient applications. Several items are consultations or early steps in an approval process rather than immediately enforceable law, and each entry notes its status.

Part 1: Import, export and market access

1. Australia: Updated kava import and labeling requirements

Imported Food Notice 15-26 | Effective October 13, 2026

DAFF has issued an updated notice setting out import and labeling requirements for kava.

Only two kinds of kava product may be sold as food: beverages made by mixing kava root with cold water, and raw or dried kava root, whole, chipped or powdered. Products must come from the peeled roots or rootstocks of Noble kava varieties, and food additives and processing aids are not permitted.

Imports require a permit. Retail labels must carry mandatory warnings, including "Use in moderation" and "May cause drowsiness," along with country-of-origin and traceability details. Nutrition content claims and health claims are prohibited.

The notice largely consolidates and clarifies existing rules rather than introducing them all for the first time. Pacific Island exporters, botanical ingredient suppliers, beverage producers and distributors should check composition, processing, labels and import paperwork before shipping.

Source: DAFF, Imported Food Notice 15-26: Requirements for importing kava

2. Australia: Halal certification now required for food exports to Indonesia

Market Access Advice 2026-08 | Issued October 15, 2026 | Requirements apply from October 18, 2026

DAFF has issued guidance on Indonesia's Halal Product Assurance Law as it applies to Australian food and beverage exports. From October 18, 2026, mandatory halal certification applies to most covered food and beverage products entering Indonesia.

Exporters need to arrange certification through a recognized halal certification body, register through Indonesia's SiHalal system, and address labeling and supply-chain segregation. Fourteen Australian certification bodies are currently accredited by Indonesia's halal agency, BPJPH. DAFF notes that several points remain unclear, including pre-shipment conformity inspections, halal-supervisor qualifications, implementation procedures and costs.

The stakes are high for flavor manufacturers. Halal status can turn on alcohol-based flavor preparations, animal-derived ingredients, processing aids, fermentation inputs, manufacturing controls and supplier traceability. Exporters should confirm their certifier's accreditation scope and work with Indonesian importers on labels, documentation and shipment procedures.

Source: DAFF, Market Access Advice 2026-08: Indonesia Halal Law Update #7

3. Australia: Pesticide residue limits may change

APVMA notification to FSANZ | October 13, 2026

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has formally notified FSANZ that it is considering chemical registrations, variations or permits that could require changes to maximum residue limits (MRLs) in food.

The active substances named include cyclobutrifluram, cypermethrin, isocycloseram, phosmet, fendioxypyracil and ipflufenoquin, along with several fungicide combinations.

MRLs set the maximum legal level of a chemical residue in a food commodity, so changes can ripple through raw-material specifications, lab testing, procurement and import compliance. For flavor and ingredient manufacturers, the relevant inputs are botanical extracts, herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural raw materials.

No new MRLs have been set. This is an early step, and businesses should wait for APVMA and FSANZ decisions before changing specifications.

Source: FSANZ, APVMA notification to FSANZ, October 13, 2026 (PDF)

4. Australia: Stricter import controls announced for pufferfish

Imported Food Notice 16-26 | Issued October 14, 2026 | Effective March 2, 2028

DAFF has announced tighter controls on imported pufferfish (fugu). Pufferfish from the Tetraodontidae and Diodontidae families will be classified as risk food, and imports in any form will need recognized foreign government certification. Foods that contain pufferfish only as an ingredient are excluded.

The change follows FSANZ safety advice on tetrodotoxin, a highly potent toxin found in certain pufferfish species. Certification arrangements must be set up through competent authorities in exporting countries, and the March 2028 start date allows time for that.

The measure has little bearing on conventional flavor manufacturing, but it matters to seafood importers, premium-food distributors, specialty foodservice suppliers and businesses trading with Japan and other Asian seafood markets.

Source: DAFF, Imported Food Notice 16-26: Pufferfish import inspections

5. Australia: Palletization rules for edible exports to Oman

Market Access Advice 2026-07 | Issued October 2, 2026

DAFF has advised exporters that Oman now requires palletization for containerized goods, including honey and other edible non-prescribed goods. Pallets must be made from acceptable materials such as wood, plastic or metal. Oman's requirement took effect on July 15, 2026, for land-border shipments and September 15, 2026, for air and sea arrivals. Non-compliant consignments may be rejected and returned.

The rule doesn't touch product composition, but it does affect how Australian honey, botanicals and other edible ingredients reach Gulf markets. Exporters should review packaging specifications, freight contracts, pallet configurations and shipping documents.

Source: DAFF, Market Access Advice 2026-07: Oman palletization requirements

Part 2: Food standards, novel ingredients and related policy

Australia and New Zealand: Ingredient and food standards

6. FSANZ approves cell-cultured duck biomass

Board approval | Decision October 6, published October 13, 2026

At an extraordinary meeting on October 6, the FSANZ board approved Application A1341 for cell-cultured duck biomass. The ingredient is grown from Pekin duck cells and is intended for products such as cell-cultured foie gras and duck pâté.

After reviewing the scientific and technical evidence and the submissions received during consultation, the board concluded that the ingredient is safe at the assessed consumption levels, subject to conditions covering safety, compliance and consumer information.

The decision is significant for alternative-protein and cultured-meat producers, and for flavor suppliers working on savory systems. Cultured products often need tailored flavor solutions to recreate the aroma, taste and mouthfeel of conventional meat.

The approval now goes to the Food Ministers' Meeting, which has 60 days to decide whether to request a review. Commercial sale is not yet authorized.

Sources: FSANZ, Board communiqué, October 6, 2026 extraordinary meeting; FSANZ, Notification Circular 415-26

7. FSANZ consults on a new glucoamylase processing enzyme

Public consultation | October 13, 2026

FSANZ has opened consultation on Application A1358 from IFF Australia, covering glucoamylase produced by Trichoderma reesei carrying a gene from Aspergillus fumigatus.

The enzyme would be used as a processing aid to break down starch into fermentable carbohydrates, a step used in fermentation, ingredient processing and carbohydrate production. FSANZ has completed its assessment and prepared a draft variation to the Code.

For flavor and ingredient businesses, the enzyme could support more efficient substrate processing and fermentation-based production. Interested companies should review the application, production specifications, safety assessment and proposed conditions of use.

Comments close November 24, 2026.

Sources: FSANZ, A1358 consultation; FSANZ, Notification Circular 415-26

8. FSANZ accepts application for mushroom-derived chitosan

Application under assessment | Announced October 1, 2026

FSANZ has announced Application A1365, which seeks permission to use chitosan from white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) as a food additive in food categories that do not currently allow additives at good manufacturing practice levels.

Chitosan is a polysaccharide with a range of functional uses in food technology; the specific uses in the application will shape the assessment. Its mushroom origin may appeal to manufacturers looking for alternatives to conventional additive sources and to brands positioned around plant- or fungal-derived ingredients, subject to appropriate labeling and claims.

The application was accepted for assessment on August 26 and announced on October 1. It has not been approved, and a public comment period is expected.

Source: FSANZ, A1365: Chitosan from Agaricus bisporus as a food additive

9. FSANZ assesses Rhizomucor pusillus mycelium as a novel food

Novel-food application | Listed October 13, 2026

FSANZ has listed Application A1366, which seeks approval to sell and use Rhizomucor pusillus mycelium as a novel food in Australia and New Zealand.

Fungal mycelium is drawing commercial interest as an alternative food material with potentially useful functional and nutritional properties. This ingredient's uses, specifications and composition will be judged on their own merits rather than by comparison with other mycelium products.

The application was accepted on September 17 and listed on October 13. Assessment is under way, with a stakeholder comment period expected later.

For flavor developers, the application is part of the broader growth of fungal biomass as a food ingredient, which may create demand for tailored flavor solutions. Businesses should follow the assessment, particularly on ingredient identity, production controls, safety, labeling and permitted uses.

Source: FSANZ, A1366: Rhizomucor pusillus mycelium as a novel food

New Zealand: Food standards and food supply

10. New Zealand adopts Food Standards Code amendments 249–251

Legal notice | October 1, 2026

MPI has published a notice adopting amendments 249, 250 and 251 to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The amendments include technical corrections and changes affecting food composition, additives and other requirements.

Amendment 249 covers provisions across several standards and schedules, including fat composition requirements for special medical purpose products for infants, and corrects omissions, inconsistencies and technical errors in the Code.

Adoption dates and arrangements are not always identical in Australia and New Zealand, so exporters and ingredient manufacturers should check both. For flavor houses, the priority is making sure additive permissions, specifications and labels reference the current Code. The notice sets out commencement details for each amendment.

Source: MPI, Food standards amendments

11. New Zealand details infant-formula ingredient amendments

Regulatory publication | October 1, 2026

MPI has published details of Food Standards Code amendments covering specialized nutritional ingredients, chiefly human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) used in infant formula.

The amendments cover 3-fucosyllactose and 2′-fucosyllactose, including a genetically modified production source, as well as lacto-N-tetraose, 3′-sialyllactose and 6′-sialyllactose. A separate amendment addresses cadmium limits for certain farmed blacklip rock oysters.

HMOs are a major area of ingredient innovation, and their regulatory treatment affects supplier qualification, specifications, formulation and documentation for infant-nutrition formulators, biotech companies and fermentation ingredient producers.

Several of these amendments were adopted in Australia before October; the October 1 publication sets out the details for New Zealand.

Source: MPI, Food standards amendment details

12. New Zealand moves ahead with avian influenza controls for commercial poultry

Proposed regulation | Cabinet papers published October 13, 2026

MPI has released Cabinet papers on proposed regulations to manage highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in commercial poultry. The aim is to improve readiness, limit the impact of outbreaks and protect poultry production and food supply.

Operators with more than 100 birds or hatching eggs would need an avian biosecurity control programme covering responsibilities, risks and disease-management procedures, along with registration, implementation, recordkeeping and audit requirements. The regulations are being drafted and are expected to be finalized later in 2026.

The government announced its decision to develop these rules in July. The impact on flavor formulation is limited, but meat processors, savory ingredient suppliers, producers of poultry-derived raw materials and businesses exposed to poultry supply disruption should follow the process.

Sources: MPI, Cabinet papers and related documents; MPI, Advice for commercial poultry farmers

13. New Zealand sets terms for a review of Fonterra competition rules

Policy review | Published October 14, 2026

MPI has released Cabinet papers setting the terms of reference for a review of the competition provisions that regulate Fonterra under the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001.

The review does not change food additive or flavoring standards, but competition rules shape the commercial conditions for dairy processors, ingredient suppliers and food manufacturers. Dairy-derived ingredients, milk-based flavor systems, cheese and butter flavors, nutritional formulations and beverages all depend on a competitive and resilient dairy supply chain.

No rules have changed yet. The outcome will depend on the review's recommendations and subsequent government decisions, and dairy ingredient businesses should follow both.

Source: MPI, Cabinet papers and related documents

Australia: Supplements and therapeutic products

14. TGA proposes stronger vitamin B6 warnings on listed medicines

Public consultation | October 14, 2026

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is consulting on stronger labeling for listed medicines containing vitamin B6. The proposal would require clearer declarations of B6 content and stronger warnings about the risks of excessive intake, particularly peripheral nerve damage. It covers pyridoxine hydrochloride, pyridoxal 5-phosphate and pyridoxal 5-phosphate monohydrate.

The proposal applies to listed medicines, not ordinary food labeling. It matters to companies selling vitamins, wellness products and other low-risk medicines through pharmacies, supermarkets and health-food stores, especially those operating across both supplements and foods.

It follows an earlier decision to make certain higher-dose oral vitamin B6 products pharmacist-only from June 1, 2027. Manufacturers should check product classifications and watch for the final labeling requirements.

Source: TGA, TGA seeks public views on stronger vitamin B6 labelling for low-risk medicines

Priority at a glance

Ranked by commercial significance to flavor houses and ingredient suppliers.

On the watchlist

These earlier measures remain active and are worth tracking:

• Steviol glycosides in hot-plate flour products (A1325): FSANZ is consulting on permitting steviol glycosides in flour-based products cooked on a hot plate, such as pancakes, pikelets and crumpets. Comments close November 11, 2026. This is directly relevant to sweetener and flavor suppliers. (FSANZ consultation)
• Neurospora crassa biomass (A1364): FSANZ is assessing an application for this fungal biomass as a novel food, relevant to fermentation-derived ingredients and alternative proteins. (FSANZ Notification Circular 413-26)
• Medicine labeling standards TGO 115 and TGO 116: These new standards took effect around the start of October and apply mainly to therapeutic products rather than conventional foods.

Further coverage of A1325 and A1364: Food Compliance International, FSANZ advances two applications regarding steviol glycosides and Neurospora crassa biomass

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