The Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC in Spanish) has published draft Costa Rican Technical Regulation (RTCR) No. 523:2025: Processed food and beverages. Pure roasted coffee, whole beans or ground. Specifications and Labelling. The notified draft Technical Regulation establishes the mandatory quality and labelling specifications for pure roasted coffee, whole beans or ground, for human consumption. The Regulation applies to all pure roasted coffee, whole beans or ground, marketed in the national territory, whether produced domestically or imported, for human consumption.
The National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA in Portuguese) has published Normative Instruction ANVISA No. 407/2025, which amends Normative Instruction No. 211 of March 1, 2023, establishing the technological functions, maximum limits, and conditions of use for food additives and processing aids authorized for use in food.
This Normative Instruction incorporates GMC/MERCOSUR Resolution No. 20 of October 9, 2025, into the national legal framework.
The National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA in Portuguese) announces that it will hold a sectoral dialog on December 9, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., to present and discuss the proposal for a “Guide on the Classification and Regulation of Plant Extracts and Concentrates Used in Food.” The meeting will be held virtually and is open to all interested parties, with no prior registration required.
To support the debate, ANVISA is making available a preliminary draft of the project, which includes guidelines on:
Criteria for defining and characterizing plant extracts and concentrates.
Distinction between selective and non-selective extraction/concentration processes.
Relevant aspects of the regulatory framework for food safety surveillance.
Applicable requirements and administrative procedures, according to the ingredient category.
The Ministry of Health announces a public consultation to amend Article 518 of the Food Sanitary Regulations. The purpose of the proposed amendment is to stipulate that, for foods that have undergone fermentation and/or protein hydrolysis processes or that contain hydrolyzed ingredients, the limit for using the term “gluten-free” will be 10 ppm.
The health authority deems it necessary to amend Article 518 of the RSA, since gluten in hydrolyzed and fermented foods can only be quantified using the competitive ELISA method, which measures gluten at levels of 10 mg/kg or higher. This technique will not accurately determine gluten levels below 10 mg/kg with acceptable precision, and it will be impossible to meet the requirements set forth in the article. And if the sandwich ELISA technique were applied to these foods, small peptides would not be detected and the gluten content would be underestimated.
Article 518 of the RSA, since gluten in hydrolyzed foods as well as in fermented foods Fermented foods can only be quantified using the competitive ELISA method, but this method it quantifies gluten from 10 mg/kg. This technique will not determine gluten with acceptable accuracy gluten levels below 10 mg/kg cannot be accurately determined, and it will be impossible to meet the established requirements. in the article. And if the sandwich ELISA technique were applied to these foods, small peptides would not be detected and the gluten content would be underestimated. Small-sized peptides will not be detected, and the gluten content will be underestimated.
The Ministry of Health announces a public consultation on the modification of Articles 27 and 65 of the Food Sanitary Regulations.
The proposed amendment aims to modify the Food Sanitary Regulations to allow the use of clean seawater for certain processes applied to fish, fishery products, and the maintenance of live fish and shellfish. Conditions are established that both types of water must meet in order to prevent food contamination thru this route. Previously, a proposal had been submitted for public consultation, but the comments received required it to be revised, so this proposal is now being resubmitted new proposal.
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