'Technical barriers' become a new screening process
According to a summary by Vietnam SPS Office, in the first half of May 2026 alone, members of World Trade Organization (WTO) issued 53 notifications related to food safety and animal and plant quarantine measures (SPS), including 43 drafts for comments and 10 notifications that came into effect. What is noteworthy is not the number, but speed and severity of tightening of these new regulations.
China – Vietnam's largest agricultural import market – has continuously announced 29 draft national standards on food safety. Content spans from food labeling, additives, food contact materials to contamination control during processing.
Notably, draft amendment to the GB13432-2013 standard requires that actual nutrient content must not be lower than 80% of declared value on the label. For fat, sugar and sodium, actual level must not exceed 120% of labeled value. This shows a trend towards management that goes beyond simply "safe" and is moving towards controlling the accuracy and transparency of all product information.
While previously businesses only needed to focus on "meeting standards at the output stage", now entire production chain is under scrutiny. In Japan, the country continues to adjust maximum residue limits (MRLs) for many pesticides on vegetables, fruits, tea, honey and seafood. In particular, default threshold of 0.01 ppm is still applied to pesticides without specific regulations – a level almost equivalent to "undetectable".
Meanwhile, the EU is showing a trend towards even stricter regulations. A notable change is principle that "substances banned in the EU must not remain in imported goods", gradually replacing the previous flexible mechanism. This means businesses can no longer think that "using the correct dosage" is sufficient. Even extremely low levels of a banned substance can lead to warnings or product returns.
Recently, case of a shipment of Vietnamese cinnamon powder being found by Croatian authorities to be contaminated with Bacillus cereus exceeding permissible levels and subsequently recalled and destroyed by the EU serves as a clear warning. In the context of increasingly stringent market controls, even a small error in hygiene, storage or processing can cost businesses dearly.
It's worth noting that trend towards stricter SPS (Sustainable Pest Control) is no longer limited to developed markets. From Türkiye and New Zealand to the East African Community, new standards are moving towards deeper control over quarantine, chemical residues, microbial toxins and traceability. The global market is establishing a “new benchmark”, where ability to meet SPS (Sustainable Productivity Standards) will determine the survival of export businesses.
Production in a “process as needed” manner is no longer viable.
The current concern is not only rising standards, but also rapid pace of change in international regulations. If businesses are slow to access information, entire production process could fall into a passive position.
At Information Conference on draft new EU regulations related to pesticide residue limits (MRLs), Deputy Director of Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection Nguyen Quy Duong stated that many key export agricultural product groups such as fruits, vegetables, tea and coffee are at risk of being directly impacted when EU tightens regulations on pesticide residue limits.
Notably, EU's new approach no longer relies primarily on actual exposure levels but shifts to assessing the hazardous characteristics of the active ingredient. If a substance is identified as posing a risk of cancer, endocrine disruption, or ecological impact, that substance can be banned without needing to demonstrate specific risks under real-world usage conditions. This puts significant pressure on Vietnamese agriculture, which still relies heavily on chemicals in farming.
Lesson from Glyphosate shows that adaptation is not simple. When EU tightened regulations on this substance, coffee industry spent many years adjusting production practices, switching to alternative solutions and strengthening farming management. But even substances once considered "safe alternatives" continue to be subject to restrictions. In other words, the game is no longer about replacing one substance with another, but about reducing dependence on chemicals in general.
In an interview with Industry and Trade Newspaper, agricultural expert Hoang Trong Thuy recommended that agricultural production in the new phase must shift from a "response when warnings are issued" mindset to "risk prevention from outset". This requires control right from source of raw materials, through cultivation, harvesting, storage, packaging and logistics processes.
However, this also poses a significant challenge for Vietnamese businesses, especially small businesses or those dependent on dispersed raw material sources. Costs of testing, certification, reorganizing production chain or building a traceability system are not low.
Even so, if changes are not made, the price to pay will be even greater. Once warned, businesses not only suffer losses on current shipment but also risk increased inspection frequency on subsequent shipments. In this context, the issue is no longer "whether or not a specific regulation can be met," but rather the long-term adaptability of entire production chain.
According to Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of SPS Vietnam Office, from a long-term perspective, SPS is no longer simply a "technical barrier." It is becoming a tool for reshaping global supply chains and screening production capabilities. In this screening process, businesses that proactively adapt early will retain their market share. Conversely, if production continues according to "old habits", risk of losing competitive advantage is unavoidable.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn