Author: infoAlimentario

Brazil – DICOL approves optimization of requests in the Food sector

/ infoAlimentario

One of the highlights of the 2nd Public Meeting of the Collegiate Council (DICOL in Portuguese) of 2025 was the proposal of a Normative Instruction (NI) to establish the conditions of the optimized procedure for the analysis of evaluation requests in the area of ​​Food by admitting supporting documentation issued by an Equivalent Foreign Regulatory Authority, an agenda item approved unanimously, due to its positive impact.

Optimized analysis
According to the technical presentation presented by the head of the Directorate General for Food (GGALI in Portuguese), Patrícia Castilho, the proposal covers issues related to risk assessment, the possibility of optimizing the analysis process and the criteria and procedures for the admission of new documents issued by the Foreign Regulatory Authority Equivalent (AREE in Portuguese). This means that all issues involved in risk assessment, including packaging materials and technologies, food additives, processing aids, new foods and ingredients and veterinary medicines, can benefit from an optimized analysis.

Improved management
Director Daniel Pereira, rapporteur of the proposal, stressed that the measure will allow for better management of Anvisa’s human and financial resources, expanding its capacity to respond to the market and to society as a whole.
In this regard, for an increasingly efficient and proportional regulatory action by the Agency, capable of reconciling health security with the creation of an environment favourable to the development of the country, the director stressed the importance of integration with global dynamics and the adoption of innovative forms of collaboration as fundamental elements for the continuous improvement of regulatory practices.

Costa Rica – Commission rejects and archives bill on front labeling of food and beverages

/ infoAlimentario

The Committee on Disability and Senior Citizen Affairs archived a bill that sought to require the placement of front labels on prepackaged foods to warn of excess calories, sugars, sodium and fats.
After two tied votes, the legislative forum proceeded to archive file 23,861 that was presented in August 2023 by the Liberationist deputy Andrea Álvarez Marín.
Álvarez Marín and the Frente Amplio member Priscilla Vindas Salazar voted in favor of the project, while the Christian Socialist Daniela Rojas Salas and the independent María Marta Padilla Bonilla voted against it.
As part of the arguments against the project, Deputy Padilla expressed that the file raised legitimate concerns about the “repercussions of front labeling on regional trade.” She pointed out that this type of initiative mainly affects those who sell products in a more informal manner.

Sources (in Spanish):

Costa Rica – Bill on Front Labeling with Nutritional Warnings for Food Products and Beverages Reintroduced in the National Assembly

/ infoAlimentario

On the same day that Deputies of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica sent to the archive File No. 23,861, on the draft Law on Front Labeling with Nutritional Warnings for Food Products and Beverages with Non-Alcoholic Content, the deputy of the National Liberation Party, Andrea Álvarez, again presented the draft law to include warnings on the nutritional labeling of food products and non-alcoholic beverages. The initiative, now processed under file 24.840, defends the use of front seals or labels that allow citizens to identify products with a high content of calories, sugars, sodium or fats. It also seeks to warn about the use of sweeteners.

Costa Rica – Healthy Costa Rica Organization defends front labeling of foods after the bill is shelved

/ infoAlimentario

The organization Healthy Costa Rica continues its fight for the implementation of front-of-package warning labels on food products, despite the recent filing of Bill No. 23,861 in the Legislative Assembly. In an interview given this afternoon to CRprensa.com, Dr. Lydia Amador, representative of the organization, explained her position on the importance of this measure for the country’s public health.

According to Dr. Amador, front-of-package labeling is a fundamental tool to inform consumers about the sugar, sodium and fat content in processed products. “Our goal is for the population to have access to clear and simple information to make healthier decisions. Currently, nutritional labeling can be confusing for many people,” she said.

Argentina/Paraguay – ANMAT and DINASVISA signed a sanitary agreement that will facilitate food trade between the two countries

/ infoAlimentario

The head of the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT in Spanish), Agustina Bisio, and her counterpart of the National Directorate of Health Surveillance (DINAVISA in Spanish), Jorge Iliou Silvero, signed in Asunción an agreement by which food, packaging and materials in contact with food can be imported by Argentina, and the same with those sent from Argentina to Paraguay by mutual recognition.

From now on, foods approved by DINAVISA will have, when imported, the same level of sanitary quality as those endorsed by ANMAT, and vice versa, a procedure that will facilitate trade between both nations.

The document represents a significant step towards strengthening food safety in the region, as Paraguay is the first country to sign this type of agreement after the modification of the Argentine Food Code (CAA in Spanish).

By recognizing their control systems, Argentina and Paraguay seek to eliminate technical barriers to trade, while maintaining high standards of protection for the health of their citizens, generating mutual benefits for both parties.
The director of DINAVISA, Jorge Iliou Silvero, mentioned that the document agreed on the simplification and mutual recognition of regulatory decisions, which will facilitate the requirements for food imports and exports between both countries.