Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa are working to adhere to an international food standard for their kava products.
The Codex Alimentarius Quality Standard is set by the World Health Organisation and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation.
It sets guidelines on the safety, quality and fairness of food trade.
The Vanuatu scientist and kava expert Vincent Lebot said following the standard would protect the health reputation of kava.
He said bans on kava in Europe and Australia were due to misunderstandings on what it was and how it was used.
