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The Malaysian food manufacturing and processing industry is an important component of the country’s economic growth and has seen significant development and innovation for shelf stable products as consumer demands increase. This sector includes several multinational corporation facilities as well as a range of local company operations.

This report provides information on the export certification requirements of the Government of Malaysia. This report supplements the Malaysia Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) – Country Report 2023.

Post forecasts Malaysian palm oil production in marketing year (MY) 2022/23 at 18.85 million metric tons (MT), up 702,000 MT from the previous year as the labor situation continues to improve.

Post forecasts that consumption and imports of corn, wheat and rice in Malaysia will slightly increase in Marketing Year (MY) 2023/24, in line with population growth and normalization of the market.

Post maintains the projections for 2021/22 and updates MY 2022/23 with an optimistic outlook on production resulting from good weather conditions and an improved labor situation.

Malaysia retail food and HRI sector is expected to grow by 7.8 percent in 2023. U.S. exporters will see excellent opportunities in the retail food and food processing sectors as the country’s economy rebounds strongly after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.

Malaysia’s Biosafety Act 2007 and Biosecurity Regulations are currently under review by the Department of Biosafety. As of September 2022, 57 genetically engineered (GE) products have been approved for import, an increase of 14 percent from 2021.

The implementation of Malaysia’s B20 mandate has been officially postponed until the end of 2022. However, it will be difficult for the Government of Malaysia (GoM) to implement the B20 within the current deadline and Post expects the delays to continue into 2023.

Malaysia again extended the subsidy for the poultry industry until December 2022 to stabilize the price of whole chicken (processed and sold with head, feet, and organs) and eggs, as stated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) on Sunday, October 9, 2022. In total, Government of Malaysia (GOM) allocations for chicken and egg subsidies from February to December 2022 will amount to RM1.233 billion (USD$265.16 million).

Easing of border restrictions and re-opening of food businesses in 2022 have helped to drive post-pandemic recovery in Malaysia's hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) industry. Despite the pandemic and global supply chain impact, the demand for foreign consumer-oriented food and beverage products is strong.

This report provides information on the regulations and procedures for the importation of food and agricultural products from the United States to Malaysia. The report is supplemented by the Malaysia Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) – Export Certificate Report 2022.

This report provides information on the export certification requirements of the Government of Malaysia. This report supplements the Malaysia Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) – Country Report 2022.