Month: March 2022

The Americas – Costa Rica: United Nations promotes front labeling of products high in fat, sodium and sugar

/ infoAlimentario

The United Nations urged Costa Rica to identify products high in fat, sodium and sugar through front labeling. It also invited the Legislative Assembly to develop a new bill to move forward on this issue, given that bill #22.065 was recently shelved.

Nydia Amador, member of the Asociación Costa Rica Saludable, explained that in July 2020, bill 22.065 was presented to the legislative stream: “Law of front labeling of prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages, to facilitate the understanding and decision making of the consumer, on the content of critical nutrients and ingredients that, by their excessive consumption, represent risks to the health of people”.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

Around the World – Spain: OCU describes the decree that will prohibit food advertising as a great advance

/ infoAlimentario

The consumer organization (OCU in Spanish) has described as “enormous progress” the Royal Decree on Food Advertising aimed at minors, to collect the main points defended by entity in its campaign ‘No to the ads empacho’, as the ban on advertising unhealthy food to children under 16 years or the use of influencers and celebrities to promote their consumption.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

Around the World – Spain: Draft bottled water amendment in public consultation

/ infoAlimentario

On the website of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is the hearing and public information process of the draft royal decree amending Royal Decree 1798/2010, of December 30, which regulates the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters and spring waters packaged for human consumption, and Royal Decree 1799/2010, of December 30, which regulates the process of preparation and marketing of packaged prepared waters for human consumption.

The project, which comes from the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), aims to incorporate the changes included in the new Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on the quality of water intended for human consumption (recast version).

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

The Americas – Argentina: Front-end labeling regulation to be published by end of March

/ infoAlimentario

According to official sources, the text of the regulation has already been defined; it will be published at the end of March and contains details on deadlines, as well as some concessions to the industry.

The implementation will take place in two stages. The first one will be in force until the end of the year and will have broader parameters than the final scheme, which should be fully in force in 2023. The regulation provides for a special deadline for companies that distribute beverages in returnable glass containers. According to the firms in the sector, it is necessary to paint the black octagons on the millions of bottles circulating in the country. In the meantime, it was decided that the warnings referring to these products will be covered by advertisements on the sales shelves.

An important point is that the deadlines are established as from the entry into force of the law and not from the publication of the regulation.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

Around the World – Spain: The Royal Decree on food and beverage advertising for minors under 16 will prohibit the use of influencers

/ infoAlimentario

The Royal Decree on the regulation of food and beverage advertising aimed at children will prohibit the appearance in commercial communications aimed at children under 16 years of “influencers”, people or characters “of relevance, public notoriety or proximity” with the child audience, whether real or fictional, who, by their career, “are likely to constitute a model or example for minors” as well as mothers or fathers, educators, teachers, professionals of children’s programs, athletes or artists.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish