Day: 12/04/2022

The Americas – Costa Rica: MEIC issues warning on non-compliance with labeling requirements for fishery products

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The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC in Spanish) issued an alert to people who consume fishery products, both pre-packaged and in bulk, regarding non-compliance with the labeling information of these foods.

For bulk products, the evaluation of mandatory labeling was oriented to aspects such as the common name of the species, the country of origin of the product and, in applicable cases, the “fresh or thawed product” legend. In establishments that sell food in this presentation, the main non-compliances were the lack of the name of the species and the country of origin.

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

The Americas – Colombia: The model of the advent labeling to be applied will be decided according to Vice Minister of Health

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According to the official, here reality is a function of what the evidence tells us, so I want to be very transparent. There are hexagonal and octagonal seals that show a degree of evidence. If the study shows that these are the best seals, then we will have to take measures,” added the official.
He also stated that before the end of Iván Duque’s government, the results of an independent study will be known and technical decisions will be taken based on the users.

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

Articles – Brazil: The importance of food and nutrition labeling for consumer food autonomy

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Food and nutrition labeling is a strategic tool of the Ministry of Health (MS) allied to the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), developed with the aim of minimizing consumer exposure to industry abuse and misleading information; promote resources for access to more adequate, healthy and safe food, reduce rates of obesity, overweight and food insecurity; and for / beyond the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

This research aims to highlight the importance of labeling in promoting consumer autonomy for healthier food choices through nutrition education, reading and proper understanding of labels. It is a literature review, which sought guidelines on mandatory food labeling based on current Brazilian legislation, available on the ANVISA website, of which three resolutions were used.

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

Articles – Paraguay: Confusion or fraud? Labeling of Stevia Sweeteners

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Fraudulent labeling is an emerging problem in the food industry worldwide. Many Stevia sweeteners are marketed in Paraguay, and their labels can be confusing. For this reason, 21 packs of sweetener products were analyzed regarding their degree of compliance with the labeling regulations in force in the country. All of the analyzed containers complied with the MERCOSUR regulations on food labeling, and 95.2% complied with MERCOSUR regulations on nutritional labeling. Over half of the containers did not comply with the local regulation for the naming of Stevia products. This is the first study on possible fraudulent labeling carried out in Paraguay, and it highlights the need to monitor compliance of food labeling regulations in the country.

For further information, you can access the original source

The Americas – Argentina: ANMAT creates calculator for estimating critical nutrient profile

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The National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT in Spanish) has made available to the entire population a calculator of critical nutrients to find out which foods must have warning seals on their packaging.

This tool performs the official nutrient profile calculations and presents the nutritional warning labels for food products as established by Law No. 27642 and Decree 151/2022.

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