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As the United States' sixth-largest export market for food and agricultural products, Taiwan imported almost US $4 billion of food and agricultural products from the US in 2021. This year, 2022, looks to exceed that mark, potentially hitting record imports.

Taiwan rejected and or destroyed 28 shipments of U.S. agricultural products in 2022 according to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA). Chemical residues were cited as the reason for 18 of the 28 recorded rejections. The second largest...

During Covid-19, the French government designated the retail sector as essential. Retail companies were authorized to continue operations. The nationwide lockdown and the closing of restaurants gave a significant boost to the retail sector.

With 91 million visitors in 2019, France is one of the world’s leading tourist destinations. Tourism accounted for 7.5 percent of GDP, providing employment to 1.5 million people. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the flow of visitors by almost 55 percent, triggering a loss of nearly 160,000 jobs. The Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional (HRI) sector saw a decrease in total sales revenue to $64 billion, a 30 percent decline from the previous year.

As a member of the European Union, France implements EU regulations for the import of animal and plant products. The US export certification requirements for most products are harmonized at the EU level; however, a few products, which are not yet harmonized across the EU, are still subject to French national regulations.

Taiwan released its list of imported food and agricultural products undergoing enhanced border inspection for 2023. No U.S. products were included on the list. In 2022, U.S. apples, avocadoes, and paper plates had been subject to enhanced inspection.