Brazil – ANVISA announces event on new food and packaging regulatory framework

THE Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA in Portuguese) will hold, on April 14, 2025, at 2 p.m., the event “Implementation of the New Regulatory Framework for the Regularization of Food and Packaging”. The meeting will take place in the auditorium of the Agency’s headquarters, in Brasília (DF), and aims to present the main changes in the electronic forms, procedures and guidelines made available by the Agency for the implementation of the regulation.

In addition, during the event, the publication of the third version of Guide 16 – Determination of the Shelf Life of Foods will be announced, as well as the launching of specific trainings for the correct application of this guide.

The event is an opportunity for industry representatives, experts and other interested parties to be updated on the new guidelines.

Registrations are due by April 10, 2025 at: https://forms.office.com/r/Y7kmhT0dhm.

Brazil – Bill to prohibit the addition of any amount of sugar and sweeteners to foods for infants moves forward

The Senate Committee on Human Rights and Participative Legislation (CDH in Portuguese) approved Bill 2.343/2024, which amends Law 11.265, which regulates the commercialization of food for infants and young children, prohibiting the addition of any amount of sugar and sweeteners to food intended for infants.
The bill by Senator Sérgio Petecão (PSD-AC) received the favorable vote of the rapporteur, Senator Laércio Oliveira (PP-SE), and now passes to the Social Affairs Committee (CAS) for analysis.

Mexico – Government bans transgenic corn by Decree

The reform promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum, which prohibits the cultivation of transgenic corn and protects native varieties of the grain native to Mexico, was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF in Spanish).
The document that makes official the reforms to articles 4° and 27 of the Constitution, regarding the conservation and protection of native corn, will enter into force on Tuesday, March 17.
The addition to article 4° specifies that the cultivation of corn “in the national territory must be free of genetic modifications produced with techniques that overcome the natural barriers of reproduction or recombination, such as transgenics. Any other use of genetically modified corn must be evaluated under the terms of the legal provisions to be free from threats to biosafety, health and the biocultural heritage of Mexico and its population.
Article 27 specifies that the State “will promote the conditions for rural, cultural, economic and health development, with the purpose of generating employment and guaranteeing the wellbeing of the peasant population and their participation and incorporation in national development, will promote agricultural and forestry activities, traditional crops with native seeds, especially the milpa system, for the optimal use of land free of genetically modified corn crops”.

Brazil – ANVISA publishes revision and consolidation of the regulation on infant formulas, enteral nutrition formulas and dietary formulas for metabolic errors

The National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA in Portuguese) has published the presentation the revision and consolidation of the regulation on infant and young child formulae, transitional and cereal-based foods for infants and young children, enteral nutrition formulae and dietary formulae for metabolic errors.

Mexico – The Consumer Power Organization has presented the study “What Do We Eat? The Double Standard of Colorings in Ultra-Processed Products”

The Consumer Power Organization has presented the study “What Do We Eat? The Double Standard of Colorings in Ultra-Processed Products.”
The study shows that 52% of the products analyzed in Mexico contain synthetic colorings, while in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, those same products, from the same global corporations, either do not use colorings or use natural alternatives.
The document analyzes the presence of synthetic and natural colorings in processed and ultra-processed products aimed at children and adolescents, such as cereals, salty snacks, sugary drinks, and dairy products. It compares products from brands such as Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Sabritas/Fritos Lay, and Walkers and Barcel sold in Mexico, the European Union, and Switzerland.
For the study, a sample of these products was collected, and the colorings reported in the ingredient lists of products available in the Mexican, Swiss, and United Kingdom markets between November 2024 and February 2025 were recorded.