Regulatory news in the Americas
In 2010, the Generalitat approved a regulation that establishes that all Catalans have the right to consume products labeled in Catalan. The reality, however, is quite different. In more than 90% of the products we consume, the information is only in Spanish and it is very difficult to find labels in our language. Why does this happen if the law says the opposite?
The National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT in Spanish) banned the marketing of a series of natural supplements through the Official Gazette.
The Provision 447/2022, establishes “the prohibition of marketing throughout the national territory and in online and digital sales platforms the product: “All Natural Herbal Supplements, brand Shelex- Male Sexual Enhancement, 8 Capsule, Distributed by American Nutraceutical Technology Inc., El Monte, CA 91731, USA”, because it lacks product and establishment authorization, so it is consequently an illegal product.
March 14 will be the 90th day since the enactment of the Law on Front-of-Food Labeling and, therefore, the deadline to regulate and apply the new standard will expire. Until then, companies are seeking to establish some specifications.
In this regard, the content of the regulation is already defined in the text approved by Congress, some points will be defined in the regulation and the companies want to be given more time to adapt packaging, differentiate nutrients and exclude some products.
In the coming days, the Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti will convene the chambers of the food industry to advance in the regulation of the Front Labeling law, incorporating the black octagons that warn about excess sugars, partner, fat or calories to the front of many food products. Although the law is based on criteria of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the companies resisted it until the last moment and now await the final details of the regulations.
The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) determined in a survey that 307 products did not have frontal food labeling, since the inspection began under Decree 272/018 of the Executive Power. Cookies and cookies presented a 47% non-compliance, with the nutritional composition data at the base. Of the products that did not present octagons, and depending on the category of products audited, between 29% and 62% were not in the nutritional composition database.
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