Benefits and Challenges in Complying Regulations on Labelling of Packaged Foods in Southeast Asia: A Short Review

Packaging and labelling of processed foods are one of the most important aspects. It contains important information for consumers to make purchase decisions. In addition, food brand owners make claims on their food packages like nutrient content and function, marketing and other claims like ‘100% natural’ or organic, ‘No MSG’ and so on. Regulatory compliances not only help in mitigating risks, improving operations, and boosting reputation and brand image, but also helps the brand owners avoid penalties, builds trust and ensures sustainable growth by complying with the standards and regulations. While refining the efficiency of operations and data security, compliance with regulations can definitely help minimise the risk of penalties, lawsuits and tarnishing of reputation. On the other side, if the regulations are not harmonised, the monitoring mechanism and implementation system are inadequate, which stops consumers from receiving clear and easy-to-get information, which is required for making purchase decisions and to safeguard them from health issues arising from consuming unhealthy and poor-quality food. This short review provides information about the current food package labelling policies, their benefits, and the various challenges faced by the international brand owners in the Southeast Asia region in complying with the regulatory standards on packaging and labelling of food products. The review also highlights some of the important issues faced by the consumer due to non-compliance of the regulatory standards on food packaging and labelling by the industry in the Southeast Asia.