Month: November 2024

Argentina – New certification system for agro-ecological foods

/ infoAlimentario

A new agroecological certification system seeks to enhance food quality. The system is promoted by the Mesa Agroalimentaria Argentina in collaboration with the Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico del Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA in Spanish). It aims to cover the absence of official parameters to certify the quality of food produced by small producers, who occupy an increasing share of the market.
The protocol, which began to be implemented a week ago in the province of Buenos Aires, is called the Participatory Guarantee System (SPG in Spanish) for Popular Agroecological Certification. It will continue to be applied in those provinces where it is requested by the different entities that bring together producers, mainly those grouped in the Mesa Agroalimentaria Argentina (MAA in Spanish).

Peru – The Peruvian Society of Foreign Trade declares that draft laws on food and beverage labeling contravene current legislation

/ infoAlimentario

The Peruvian Foreign Trade Association (Comex Perú in Spanish), indicated that draft laws have been presented that seek to influence the regulation of food and beverage packaging, which would contravene international regulations and denaturalize the national regulations in force, posing risks to the health of the population and the fulfillment of international commitments.

The international trade association pointed out that the packaging of processed foods and beverages is regulated by a group of national provisions. Thus, there is the Regulation of Surveillance and Sanitary Control of Food and Beverages (Supreme Decree 007-98-SA), the Code of Consumer Protection and Defense (Consumer Code) and the Law for the Promotion of Healthy Food for Children and Adolescents (Law 30021).

Chile – Bill introduced to amend Law No. 20,606, on the nutritional composition of food and its advertising, to require labeling of ultra-processed foods and restrict their advertising

/ infoAlimentario

The draft amendment was proposed by senators María José Gatica and Ximena Ordenes and senators Juan Castro González and Alejandro Kusanovic, and will be analyzed by the Health Committee.
The bill proposes to modify law 20.606, on the nutritional composition of food and its advertising, to label as “ultra-processed” those food products that contain more than five ingredients formed from chemical-industrial processes.

archivoDownload

Argentina – Food allergen bill introduced in Chamber of Deputies

/ infoAlimentario

National Deputy Oscar Agost Carreño (Encuentro Federal) presented a bill aimed at protecting millions of Argentines who suffer from food allergies (Food Allergen Law) by implementing a clear and mandatory labeling system to warn about the presence of allergens in food.
The project seeks to align local regulations with international best practices, establishing standards for packaging to visibly indicate the presence of common allergens, such as milk, egg or gluten. This measure would allow consumers to quickly identify products that pose a risk to their health and avoid accidental exposure.

6306-D-2024Download

Article – Analysis of the law for the promotion of healthy eating from the geography of the food (Argentina)

/ infoAlimentario

This work aims to carry out an analysis, from the geography of food or nutrition, about the application of the Law for the Promotion of Healthy Eating in Argentina. This law is well known as “front labeling” but beyond the labeling of food, it covers a broader panorama to bring the right to health and food closer to the population. The geography of food, for many authors, includes a perspective of food from the multiple branches of geography: economic, health, environmental, physical and cultural. Therefore, following this line, it is presented how the law has impacted people’s interest and disinterest in the consumption of packaged foods, as it has influenced the food industry (based on a market study focused on new products that companies offer “without seals”) and what are the points that still need to be taken up to guarantee food security, and the food safety of the population in terms of food and nutritional education. The situation in Quilmes (Province of Buenos Aires) was analyzed regarding the products presented in supermarkets and warehouses to know the changes in the marketing of food within the district and to carry out an analysis of the educational needs in relation to the law. To do this, an exploratory approach was started from the cultural geography of food. The results show industries have begun a process of reformulation and product development to reduce the number of stamps and legends. Finally, it is still necessary to evaluate and raise awareness about the risks related to the food safety of unpackaged products.

CONICET_Digital_Nro.0032f7d2-65ba-4d01-b8ad-442e33190275_ZDownload