2026 Global Food Regulations Annual Forum

The global food industry is currently undergoing profound transformation. On the one hand, with the rapid advancement of technologies such as synthetic biology and novel food sources, countries are raising the bar for safety assessments and market access requirements for new food ingredients, shifting the regulatory approach from ‘post-market oversight’ to ‘pre-market prevention’. On the other hand, major export markets such as Europe and the US are imposing increasingly stringent compliance checks on imported foods, with procedures such as FDA on-site inspections and EU Novel Food authorisation becoming more complex. At the same time, Asian markets such as Japan and South Korea are continuously updating their provisional authorisation and additive notification systems.

Caught between these twin pressures of “tightening domestic regulations and high overseas barriers”, companies seeking to break through in international trade require not only robust product quality but also a forward-looking and precise grasp of global regulations.

To this end, CIRS Group will host the “2026 Global Food Regulations Annual Forum” in Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo in June 2026. This conference will bring together leading experts from China, the US, Europe, Japan and South Korea to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest global regulatory developments. We will provide an in-depth analysis of the challenges involved in declaring new food ingredients in China, break down the practical key points for preparing for FDA inspections and registration in Europe and the US, and outline the latest market access pathways for Japan and South Korea. Through this conference, we will assist enterprises in building a “global compliance strategy”, enabling you not only to understand regulations but also to utilise them to safeguard your R&D innovation and international trade expansion.

Conference Information

Shanghai Forum

Date: 17 June 2026

Registration Fee: Free

Venue: Shanghai, China (exact venue to be confirmed)

Language: Chinese and subtitles for other languages

Seoul Forum

Date: 23 June 2026

Registration Fee: Free

Venue: Seoul, South Korea (exact venue to be confirmed)

Language: Korean and subtitles for other languages

Tokyo Forum

Date: 25 June 2026

Registration Fee: 7,000 yen per person

Venue: Tokyo, Japan (exact venue to be confirmed)

Language: Japanese and subtitles for other languages

Conference Agenda

Shanghai Forum

Time	Topic	Speakers
8:30–8:55	Registration
8:55–9:00	Opening Remarks	Mr. Lin Longhai, Deputy General Manager of CIRS Group
9:00–10:00	Safety Assessment Requirements for New Food Ingredients and Food Additives in China	Mr. Zhong Weijian, Deputy Director Former Shanghai Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
10:00–10:30	Optimisation and Support Policies for the Filing/Registration of Imported Health Foods	Expert from the Yiwu Bureau (to be confirmed)
10:30–11:00	Coffee Break
11:00–11:30	Introduction to Novel Food and Feed Additive Authorisation Applications in Europe	Ms. Wing Yu Technical Manager, Food Division, CIRS Group, DCST
11:30–12:00	Technical Highlights and Case Studies on Preparing for On-site Inspections by the FDA and Other Overseas Regulatory Authorities for Export Food Enterprises	Ms. Ma Yan Senior Engineer, Comprehensive Technology Centre, Rongcheng Customs
12:00–13:30	Lunch
13:30–14:30	Introduction to China Regulations on the Declaration of Feed Raw Materials and Feed Additives	Feed Evaluation Expert (to be confirmed)
14:30–15:00	Guidance on Regulatory Compliance via Various Pathways (e.g., FDA GRAS, NDI, CAP) in the U.S.	Dr Timothy S. Murbach Technical Director, CIRS USA; ND, DABT
15:00–15:30	Coffee Break
15:30–16:00	Guidance on Provisional Approval of New Food Ingredients and Food Additives in Korea	Ms. SeoWon Kim Senior Manager, CIRS Korea
16:00–16:30	Introduction on New food additive registration in Japan	Mr. Toshifumi Hori CIRS Japan
16:30–17:00	Analysis of the Sustainable Benefits of Synthetic Biology in Food and Feed – Case Studies from an LCA Perspective	Mr. Wang Daqi Deputy General Manager, Sustainability Department, CIRS Group

Seoul Forum

12:30–13:00	Registration
13:00–13:10	Opening Remarks
13:10–13:50	Guidance on Provisional Approval of New Food Ingredients and Food Additives in Korea	Ms. SeoWon Kim Senior Manager, CIRS Korea
13:50–14:30	Guidance on Applications for New Food Ingredients and Food Additives in China	Ms. Wing Yu Technical Manager, Food Division, CIRS Group, DCST
14:30–14:45	Coffee Break
14:45–15:25	Guidance on Regulatory Compliance via Various Pathways (e.g., FDA GRAS, NDI, CAP) in the U.S.	Dr. Timothy S. Murbach Technical Director, CIRS USA; ND, DABT
15:25–15:50	Introduction on New food additive registration in Japan	Mr. Toshifumi Hori CIRS Japan
15:50–16:20	Q&A

Tokyo Forum

12:00–13:00	Registration
13:00–13:10	Company Introduction
13:10–13:40	Guidance on Applications for New Food Ingredients and Food Additives in China	Mr. Xu Hui Senior Regulatory Consultant, Food Division, CIRS Group
13:40–14:20	Guidance on Regulatory Compliance via Various Pathways (e.g., FDA GRAS, NDI, CAP) in the U.S.	Dr Timothy S. Murbach Technical Director, CIRS USA; ND, DABT
14:20–14:50	Food Ingredient Notification in Australia and New Zealand	Ms. Cathy Yu General Manager, Food Division, CIRS Group, DCST
14:50–15:10	Coffee Break
15:10–15:50	Introduction to Novel Food and Food Additive (Enzyme) Authorisation Applications in Europe	Ms. Wing Yu Technical Manager, Food Division, CIRS Group, DCST
15:50–16:20	Guidance on Provisional Approval of New Food Ingredients and Food Additives in Korea	Ms. SeoWon Kim Senior Manager, CIRS Korea
16:20–16:40	Introduction on New food additive registration in Japan	Mr. Toshifumi Hori CIRS Japan
16:40–17:00	Q&A Session
17:30–20:00	Welcome Dinner (Registration Required)

Who shall attend?

Senior executives and R&D managers from food and feed companies
Representatives of ingredients and technical service providers
Representatives from ingredients manufacturers and suppliers
Professionals in the health industry chain

Registration

Shanghai Forum

Scan the QR code below to add the corporate WeChat account ‘Yuan Tiantian’. Share the conference news or poster to your Moments (do not set it to ‘Groups’ and ensure it remains visible for at least one hour) to secure a free seat. A maximum of two representatives per company. Places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Seoul Forum

Contact: Ko Da Eun

Email: daeun.ko@cirs-group.com

Tokyo Forum

Contact: Mr Li

Email: gy.yi@cirs-group.com

Tel: 070-9384-1559 (Weekdays: 10:00–17:30)

Organiser

Organiser: CIRS China

Co-organiser: CIRS Korea, CIRS Japan

About CIRS

CIRS Group is a global specialist product safety management service provider established in 2007. Headquartered in Hangzhou, it maintains branches in Ireland,the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing. We specialise in providing one-stop compliance solutions—ranging from regulatory consultancy, laboratory testing and R&D support to data services—for enterprises in the chemical, cosmetics, food, medical device, disinfection product, agrochemical and consumer goods sectors, as well as research institutions and industry associations. We assist companies in achieving product compliance, rapidly gaining market access and enhancing their global competitiveness.

The majority of team members in CIRS Group’s Food Division have over 10 years’ experience in food compliance, with over 80% holding master’s or doctoral degrees in food-related disciplines. Among them, CIRS’s team of toxicology experts comprises 24 Chinese Certified Toxicologists (DCST), 2 American Certified Toxicologists (DABT) and 2 European Registered Toxicologists (ERT).We have assisted over 1,000 domestic and international food and related enterprises in completing ‘one-stop’ food compliance work. We have a wealth of successful case studies in the areas of US GRAS, EU Novel Food, China’s ‘Three New’ Foods, new feed ingredients, feed additives, health foods, and ‘Two Special’ foods.

We have launched a LinkedIn newsletter to keep you up to date on the latest developments across the chemical industry including food and FCMs and personal and home care.