02/07/2026 (The Edge Malaysia) - THE Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) is confident that the local palm oil industry will be able to adapt and comply with “legitimate market expectations” amid concerns over the possibility of additional food safety measures imposed on palm oil by importing countries.

On Jan 1, 2026, Türkiye became the first country outside the European Union (EU) to impose mandatory sampling and laboratory analysis for 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD) esters and glycidyl fatty acid esters (GE) on edible oils.

MPOC CEO Belvinder Sron says the Malaysian palm oil industry has a long track record of meeting regulatory requirements in major export markets, including those related to food safety, quality, sustainability, traceability and product specifications.

“As such, the MPOC does not view the possibility of additional requirements in individual markets as a concern, provided that such measures are science-based, transparent and implemented in a predictable manner.

“Malaysia remains committed to working closely with regulators, industry stakeholders and trading partners to ensure continued compliance and uninterrupted supply to global markets,” she says in a written response to questions from The Edge.

3-MCPD esters and GE are contaminants formed during the high-temperature refining of edible oils and fats. The contaminants drew global attention after the European Food Safety Authority released a 2016 report warning of potential health risks.

To address this, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has capped 3-MCPD levels in palm oil, but while technologies to lower the contaminant exist, industry adoption has proven difficult due to cost and operational challenges. At present, CPO washing remains the most widely used method for reducing 3-MCPD, whether carried out at mills or refineries.

“The EU standards came into force on Jan 1, 2021, yet for five years, there was little response outside Europe, except in Malaysia, which attempted implementation from Jan 1, 2023. Türkiye quietly announced its intention in 2023, so companies trading with them would have been aware but the formal enforcement from Jan 1, 2026, still marked a significant shift,” says Qua Kiat Seng, a palm oil industry veteran with experience in refining, foods, oleochemicals and personal care in Malaysia and Europe.

However, the move to enforce testing for 3-MCPD esters and GE in Malaysia through MPOB was deferred from the 2023 deadline. Last September, the MPOB told The Edge that it would enforce licensing requirements to curb 3-MCPD esters and GE in palm oil sold domestically from January this year and that no blanket extensions would be given. However, refineries may apply for more time if they show evidence that they are making progress towards meeting the requirement.

The key reason Türkiye has adopted the testing for the contaminants is to meet EU standards as it exports to the region.

Belvinder explains that the EU introduced maximum limits for GE in edible oils and fats in 2018, followed by maximum limits for 3-MCPD esters in 2021. As Türkiye is a significant exporter of food products to the EU market, where compliance with EU food safety requirements is important, the introduction of mandatory sampling and laboratory analysis for GE and 3-MCPD esters in edible oils is not entirely unexpected.

“As with any importing country, Türkiye has the prerogative to establish and enforce food safety requirements for products entering its market. The introduction of mandatory sampling and laboratory analysis for 3-MCPD esters and GE should be viewed within this context,” she says.

Furthermore, Malaysia has been supplying GE- and 3-MCPD-compliant palm oil to the EU market for years and has extensive experience in meeting these requirements.

“As such, Malaysia is well positioned to meet Türkiye’s requirements and to continue supplying compliant palm oil to the market. The industry has already developed and adopted proven mitigation technologies to effectively manage 3-MCPD and GE levels throughout the supply chain,” she adds.

MPOC, funded by the industry and government grants, serves as the global promotion and market-expansion arm for Malaysian palm oil.

Belvinder says although Türkiye is not among the top three destinations for Malaysian palm oil exports, it remains a strategically important market. Malaysia is the dominant palm oil supplier to Türkiye, accounting for around 90% of the country’s palm oil imports.

Over the past five years, Malaysia has exported an average of about 810,000 metric tons of palm oil annually to the market.

The top three export markets for Malaysian palm oil in 2025 were India, Kenya and the EU. Türkiye ranked fifth behind China and ahead of the Philippines and Japan.

According to Belvinder, the ruling’s impact on Malaysian palm oil exports to Türkiye was evident particularly during the second half of 2025 as importers adjusted to the new requirements ahead of their enforcement on Jan 1 this year.

“Despite the upcoming regulatory changes, Malaysian palm oil exports to Türkiye performed strongly in the first half of 2025, increasing by 8% year on year (y-o-y). However, uncertainty among buyers regarding the implementation of the low 3-MCPD and GE requirements led to many importers slowing purchases and reducing inventories in the second half of the year. As a result, Malaysian exports to Türkiye declined by 35% in 2H2025, contributing to an overall 17% decline in exports for the full year,” she explains.

Nevertheless, Türkiye remains an important and sizeable market for Malaysian palm oil, with export volumes over the past five years consistently ranging between 700,000 and 900,000 metric tons annually.

In the first five months of 2026, Malaysian palm oil exports to Türkiye remained soft, declining 4.5% from the corresponding period in 2025. The MPOC sees the softer performance as largely attributable to weaker shipments in May, as the conflict in West Asia and heightened palm oil price volatility during March and April prompted buyers to delay fresh purchase commitments.

“Importantly, current market conditions suggest that the regulatory requirements themselves are no longer the primary factor influencing trade flows. As energy prices gradually stabilise and geopolitical uncertainties ease, Malaysian palm oil exports to Türkiye are expected to record y-o-y growth in the second half of 2026,” says Belvinder.

While there has been speculation that China would also implement mandatory testing on 3-MCPD and GE, this has yet to materialise. Are local palm oil producers prepared if a larger number of countries adopt more stringent requirements?

“There is a cost to meeting these rules, both capital expenditure and ongoing operational adjustments, which can be significant depending on the technical solution selected. When these costs are passed on to buyers, they become a barrier to wider adoption. That said, a number of local palm oil producers are already prepared, particularly those engaged in business-to-business arrangements with EU buyers who demand compliance,” says Qua, adding that compliant oils could demand a premium.

When asked for comment, the MPOB, which regulates the industry through licensing, in addition to undertaking palm oil research and development, referred The Edge to the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities. At press time, the ministry had yet to respond.

Despite delays in implementing mandatory testing for 3-MCPD esters and GE in Malaysia, Qua commends MPOB’s proactive stance in safeguarding consumers, especially since most countries outside Europe continue to prefer the Codex approach.

He explains that the Codex Alimentarius provides a Code of Practice to guide industry in reducing 3-MCPD esters and GE, but it is non-binding. The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally recognised standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) relating to food, its production and labelling as well as safety.

Meanwhile, the WHO and FAO have set a provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of 4µg/kg body weight/day for 3-MCPD.

For GE, they have concluded it is a genotoxic carcinogen with no safe threshold and have therefore urged reduction, particularly in infant formula. The US FDA, likewise, has not set enforceable thresholds, relying instead on monitoring, research and voluntary industry compliance.

“This highlights the EU’s strict no-risk policy — prioritising consumer safety regardless of economic cost, in contrast to the more flexible, science-based guidance of Codex, WHO/FAO and FDA,” Qua concludes.

https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/808859