Halal & Rural Trade Push: Penang’s PERDA expects 75,000 visitors for its three-day EXPERT 2026 expo (Oct 2-4) at Midtown PERDA, targeting RM2m+ in sales and contracts with 200+ exhibitors, including rural Bumiputera entrepreneurs and business-matching. Food Policy Watch (Philippines): Industry groups including PCFMI are urging a further review of the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model so the sugar, sodium and fat thresholds better match today’s packaged food and beverage market—meant to feed into front-of-pack labels, marketing limits and taxes. Nutrition Rules (Pakistan): Punjab is rolling out tech-led tax enforcement, including cameras at marriage halls, marquees and major food chains, plus a push toward mandatory digital payments to curb underreporting and fake receipts. Beverage Leadership: Heineken appoints Rafael “Rafa” Oliveira, currently JDE Peet’s CEO, to lead from Oct 1, 2026, as it accelerates its EverGreen 2030 strategy. Trade Fair Expansion: Koelnmesse brings Anuga Select South Africa to Cape Town in June 2027, partnering with dmg events to connect African and international food and beverage players. China Matcha Boom: China’s matcha output topped 12,000 tonnes in 2025, about 70% of global production, as demand for deep-processed tea and diversified drinks keeps rising.