The Americas

Regulatory news in the Americas

Brazil – New bill to require alcohol content indication on foods

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Bill 447/25 requires manufacturers of foods containing alcohol to clearly and prominently indicate the alcohol content on the label, expressed as a volume percentage (% v/v).
According to the bill’s author, Deputy Nitinho (PSD-SE), the initiative enables consumers to make informed decisions about their food.
The proposal, currently under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies, the requirement applies even when the alcohol comes from fermentation processes. The information must appear on the label, in an easily visible place and with legible characters, according to the rules of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA in Portuguese).
Failure to comply with the measure will subject the company to the sanctions provided for in the Consumer Protection Code, which include warnings, fines and suspension of the sale of the product.

Peru – Ministry of Health announces the “National Program for the Promotion of Food Safety in the Food Chain: Safe Food”

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In the framework of World Food Safety Day, which is celebrated on June 7 and this year has the slogan “Food Safety: Science in Action”, the Ministry of Health (MINSA in Spanish), through the General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA in Spanish), launched the “National Program for the Promotion of Food Safety in the Food Chain: Safe Food”, in order for the authorities to enforce the Sanitary Technical Standard no. 142/MINSA/DIGESA “Sanitary Standard for restaurants and related services”, which grant the respective certification. No. 142/MINSA/DIGESA “Sanitary Standard for restaurants and related services”, which grant the respective certification.
The ceremony was attended by the Vice Minister of Public Health, Ricardo Peña Sánchez, representing the Minister of Health, César Vásquez, who stressed that “food safety is a shared responsibility between governments, producers and consumers and that we all play a role in the chain to ensure that the food we consume is safe and not harmful to our health”.
Regarding the referred norm, it contemplates that restaurants and services must apply the General Principles of Hygiene (PGH), supported by the Good Handling Practices programs and the Hygiene and Sanitation programs, evidenced in the PGH sanitary certification issued by the municipality in its jurisdictions.

Brazil – MAPA publishes books on “Identification of biological, chemical and physical hazards in foods of plant origin”

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In commemoration of World Food Safety Day, celebrated on June 7, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA in Portuguese), through the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense (SDA in Portuguese), announces the launch of the publication “Identification of biological, chemical and physical hazards in food of plant origin”.

The book was produced in partnership with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS in Portuguese), through a technical consultancy contracted under the BRA/IICA/16/001 Technical Cooperation Project. The initiative is part of MAPA’s efforts to modernize strategic management, with a focus on food safety, sustainability and agribusiness competitiveness.

The publication’s main objective is to subsidize inspection actions, support the production sector in mitigating risks, improve audits and contribute to the harmonization of plant inspection, especially in the context of Normative Instruction 23/2020 and the requirements of international markets.

Aimed at federal agricultural inspectors, the production sector, consultants, food safety professionals and academic institutions, the material offers a technical overview of contamination routes and control measures applicable to plant foods, based on scientific evidence.

Identificação de perigos biológicos, químicos e físicos em alimentos de origem vegetal (3)Download

Peru – Bill introduced to ban the use of the dye erythrosine or E127 (red No. 3) in the country

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Congresswoman María Agüero Gutiérrez (Free Peru), presented the bill that prohibits the use of red dye No. 3 in the elaboration of food, packaged products, beverages, medicines and cosmetics for human consumption or use that are sold, imported and distributed in the national territory.
The legislative initiative No. 11673/2024-CR, was presented today, Tuesday, June 17, through the institutional portal of the Congress of the Republic. The text has the support of five other parliamentarians of his party.
The proposal comes in a context of growing global concern about the carcinogenic effects of some food additives. In January of this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked its authorization for the use of red No. 3 in oral products after detecting links with tumors in laboratory animals.
As a result of this pronouncement, the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA in Spanish) recommended the local food industry to progressively replace the use of this substance. Now, Congress is seeking to make this transition mandatory.

PL1167320250617Download

Colombia – Invima continues to monitor nutrition labeling on packaged and packaged foods

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The National Institute for Drug and Food Surveillance (INVIMA in Spanish), in exercise of its inspection, surveillance and control functions, has been implementing rigorous actions to verify compliance with the technical regulation of nutritional and front labeling of packaged and/or packaged foods, in accordance with Resolution 810 of 2021, modified by Resolution 2492 of 2022 and by Resolution 254 of 2023).

Since the entry into force of these regulations, INVIMA has worked with the productive and commercial sector to ensure compliance with the requirements that allow consumers to have clear, understandable and truthful information on the products they consume.

These requirements include warning seals for foods that exceed certain levels of sodium, sugars and fats or contain sweeteners, allowing consumers to make better decisions focused on nutritional information.

During the transitional period, manufacturers, producers and sellers were able to use up stocks of previous labels without the need for authorization. Subsequently, the regulations empowered INVIMA, according to its procedures, to grant food manufacturers the exhaustion of labels and the use of adhesives.