Month: July 2026

Peru – INACAL establishes a standardization subcommittee to raise plastic packaging standards in the food industry

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The National Institute of Quality (INACAL in Spanish), attached to the Ministry of Production, has established the Technical Subcommittee for Packaging and Packaging – Plastics, which will be responsible for developing quality standards for plastic packaging intended for contact with food in the country.

During the ceremony, the executive president of Inacal, César José Bernabé Pérez, highlighted the strategic role of this subcommittee for consumer protection and industrial competitiveness: “The packaging and plastics sector faces urgent challenges in sustainability, recycling, and food safety.” This Subcommittee will allow us to raise standards and align them with international best practices. The transition to sustainable packaging is no longer a trend; it is an obligation to maintain access to increasingly demanding markets.

The Subcommittee will develop Peruvian Technical Standards (PTS in Spanish) related to quality and safety requirements, testing methods, performance, eco-design, sustainability, sampling, and inspection. Its objective is to align national production with international standards such as ISO, ASTM, and UNE, essential for strengthening competitiveness and Peru’s participation in global value chains.

Argentina – Approved new genetically modified soybean with herbicide tolerance and protection against nematodes and insects

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The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries of the Ministry of Economy of the Nation authorized, through Resolution 113/2026, the commercialization for all uses of a new genetically modified soybean that incorporates tolerance to herbicides that inhibit the HPPD enzyme, glyphosate, ammonium glufosinate, and 2,4-D, and protection against the soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) and certain lepidopteran insects.

La aprobación fue otorgada luego de completar satisfactoriamente las evaluaciones realizadas por la Comisión Nacional Asesora de Biotecnología Agropecuaria (CONABIA), que determinó que el evento acumulado no presenta riesgos nuevos o incrementados respecto de otras sojas comerciales y que su liberación al agroecosistema es tan segura como la de cualquier soja convencional.

Complementariamente, el Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria (SENASA) evaluó la aptitud del producto para consumo humano y animal y concluyó que la soja es tan segura y no menos nutritiva que su contraparte convencional y otras variedades comerciales. Likewise, the Directorate of Market Policies analyzed the potential impact of its commercialization and determined that no risks are identified for Argentine soybean exports and their derivatives.

Panama – New regulation establishes the mandatory identification of the origin of food products and the differentiation of original products, substitutes, and imitations that are marketed in the country

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The Consumer Protection and Competition Defense Authority (ACODECO) announces Law 543 of July 7, 2026, published in Official Gazette No. 30,562, which establishes the mandatory identification of the origin of food products and the differentiation of original products, substitutes, and imitations that are marketed in the country.

The law stipulates that commercial establishments must clearly identify, on shelves, racks, refrigerators, or coolers, whether the products are of national or imported origin, also indicating the country of origin. In the case of substitute or imitation products, visible notices must be placed to warn of this condition, and they must be physically separated from the original products to avoid confusion among consumers. Likewise, the regulation establishes that imported food products must be marketed under the same conditions in which they were introduced into the country, preserving their technical specifications and origin. In the case of frozen meat products, they cannot be thawed or modified to be presented as fresh national products.

The institution will also develop, in coordination with the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) and the Ministry of Health (Minsa), guidance and education campaigns aimed at both consumers and economic agents, with the purpose of facilitating the correct application of the new regulations and promoting informed consumption.

Acodeco urges economic agents to take advantage of the one-year period prior to the law coming into effect to make the necessary adjustments and comply with the new obligations. Likewise, it reiterates its commitment to guiding suppliers and consumers during this process, in order to ensure an orderly and effective implementation of this important legislation.

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Central America – Resolución N.º 499-2026 (COMIECO-CXIII)

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Incorporates a note in numeral 9.1.6 of the Central American Technical Regulation RTCA 67.01.07:10 General Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (Prepackaged), approved by Resolution No. 280-2012 (COMIECO-LXII), of May 14, 2012.

Modify the Central American Technical Regulation RTCA 67.01.07:10 General Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (Prepackaged), approved by Resolution No. 280-2012 (COMIECO-LXII), dated May 14, 2012, incorporating the following Note in section 9.1.6:
“NOTE 1.” The supplementary label can be placed by the manufacturer, importer, or distributor.

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Panama – Panama achieves regional consensus to incorporate national proposal on general food labeling

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Panama achieved an important result during the most recent meeting of the Council of Ministers of Economic Integration (COMIECO), by successfully incorporating a national proposal into the new Central American Technical Regulation on General Labeling of Prepackaged Foods, approved thru Resolution No. 501-2026.

Resolution No. 501-2026 (COMIECO-CXIII) incorporates a note in numeral 9.2.1 of the Central American Technical Regulation RTCA 67.01.07:10 General Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (Prepackaged), approved thru Resolution No. 280-2012 (COMIECO-LXII), of May 14, 2012; and approve the adoption, by the Republic of Panama, of the Central American Technical Regulation RTCA 67.01.07:10 General Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (Prepackaged), approved thru Resolution No. 280-2012 (COMIECO-LXII), of May 14, 2012, and its amendments approved in the previous numeral and in Resolution No. 499-2026 (COMIECO-CXIII), of June 26, 2026.

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