The Americas

Regulatory news in the Americas

Argentina – Incorporation into the Food Code: MERCOSUR Resolution on the Use of Starches in Very High Moisture Cheeses

/ infoAlimentario

Thru Joint Resolution No. 05/2026, the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT in Spanish) and the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries incorporate into the national legal framework the GMC Resolution No. 14/23 “MERCOSUR Technical Regulation on the use of starches in very high moisture cheeses.”

The measure incorporates into the Argentine Food Code a regulatory update agreed upon by the MERCOSUR Member States, which harmonizes the conditions for the use of starches and modified starches in certain categories of very high moisture cheeses.

Main aspects of the update:

  • It authorizes the use of starches and modified starches as optional ingredients in cheeses with moisture content greater than or equal to 55 g/100 g.
  • It establishes that these products must be thermally treated and take the shape of the container or wrapping that holds them at the time of packaging.
  • It defines a maximum incorporation limit of 1% (m/m) in the final product.
  • Harmonizes Argentine regulations with the technical criteria in force within the MERCOSUR framework.

The modification is incorporated into Article 605 of the Argentine Food Code and responds to the need to keep national food legislation up to date in accordance with the technical and regulatory advances applicable to the production of dairy products.

Almidon documentDownload

Argentina – ANMAT updates requirements for packaging, plastic equipment, and cellulosic equipment intended to come into contact with food

/ infoAlimentario

Thru Joint Resolution No 06/2026, the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT in Spanish) and the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries incorporate the Common Market Group (GMC) Resolutions No. 19/21, 20/21, and 21/21 into the national legal framework in order to keep the standards on materials, packaging, and cellulosic equipment intended to come into contact with food up to date. The measure incorporates modifications to the current regulations on plastic packaging and equipment, as well as on cellulosic materials, packaging, and equipment intended to come into contact with food, with the aim of keeping the regulatory framework updated in accordance with the technical advances achieved in the regional context.

Main aspects of the update:

  • Updates the positive list of monomers, other starting substances, and polymers authorized for the manufacture of plastic packaging and equipment in contact with food.
  • Incorporates modifications to the general provisions applicable to plastic packaging and equipment intended for contact with food.
  • Updates the technical regulation for cellulosic materials, containers, and equipment intended to be in contact with food.
  • Aligns national regulations with the technical criteria in force within the MERCOSUR framework.

Materiales documentDownload

Argentina – ANMAT updates the Food Code to set arsenic limits in rice

/ infoAlimentario

Thru Joint Resolution No. 04/2026, the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) and the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries incorporated MERCOSUR Resolution No. 18/21 into the national legal framework, which updates the maximum limits of inorganic contaminants for the category “Rice and its derivatives, except oil,” specifically in relation to arsenic. The measure updates the MERCOSUR Technical Regulation on Maximum Limits of Inorganic Contaminants in Food, previously incorporated into the Argentine Food Code, with the aim of aligning national regulations with technical and scientific advances in food safety.

Main aspects of the update:

  • Harmonizes Argentine regulations with the standards in force within the MERCOSUR framework.
  • Updates the maximum permitted limits of arsenic for the category “Rice and its derivatives, except oil.”
  • Strengthens the protection of consumer health by adjusting the criteria for controlling inorganic contaminants in food.
  • It helps ensure the safety and quality of the food marketed in the country.

Likewise, Article 156 of the Argentine Food Code is updated, which establishes the maximum permitted limits for various metallic and non-metallic elements in food, incorporating the modifications approved at the regional level.

Arroz documentDownload

Peru – Natural Products Committee of the Exporters Association promotes the creation of a health registry for dietary supplements

/ infoAlimentario

The Natural Products Committee of the Exporters Association (ADEX) reiterated the importance of promoting the creation of a Health Registry for Food Supplements, as outlined in Bill No. 6435/2023-CR, approved by the Health Commission of Congress in April 2025 and currently pending debate in the Plenary.

The initiative seeks to establish a specific regulatory framework for this category, under the authority of the General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA in Spanish), thru the implementation of a Sanitary Regulation.

He indicated that having differentiated regulation will provide greater legal certainty to companies, strengthen the competitiveness of the sector, and align national legislation with global standards and the guidelines promoted by the Pacific Alliance.

PL0643520231115Download

Peru – INDECOPI declared the MINSA’s requirement to renew the HACCP certificate for the food and beverage industry illegal

/ infoAlimentario

The National Institute for the Defense of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI in Spanish), thru the Specialized Chamber for the Elimination of Bureaucratic Barriers, has published Resolution No. 0184-2026/SEL-INDECOPI, which orders the Ministry of Health to eliminate the validity limit on this key sanitary permit for national production.

Bureaucratic Barrier Declared Illegal

The imposition of a specific validity period of two (2) years for the official Technical Validation Certificate of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Plan (hereinafter, HACCP), materialized in Article 58-A of the Regulation on Health Surveillance and Control of Food and Beverages, approved by Supreme Decree 007-98-SA, and in Article 33 of the Health Standard for the application of the HACCP System in the manufacture of Food and Beverages, approved by Ministerial Resolution 449-2006-MINSA.