Colombia – Statement from the Ministry of Health on the project to update dietary supplements

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On June 6, the national public consultation of the draft decree “Whereby the sanitary conditions and requirements regarding dietary supplements are established, and other provisions are issued” began. This draft decree corresponds to the comprehensive update of the legislation regarding dietary supplements in Colombia, which seeks to repeal Decree 3249 of 2006 and its amending or complementary rules, such as Decree 3863 of 2008, Decree 272 of 2009 and Resolution 3096 of 2007.
The project is published in the Ministry’s web page and the consultation is open until July 17 at 6:00 p.m.
Some of the aspects to be updated are related to:

  • Reference values and maximum tolerable intake levels.
  • Specific Good Supply Practices.
  • Harmonization of regulatory requirements with the agreements made within the framework of the Pacific Alliance with Chile and Peru.
  • Adjustment of the sanitary registration issuance process, making some requirements more flexible, such as the Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practices.
  • Definition of a new subcategory of products, dietary supplements for athletes.
  • Establishment of minimum conditions for the use of non-psychoactive cannabis in the manufacture of dietary supplements.

All those who are interested in participating in the national public consultation can refer to the following link: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/normatividad_nuevo/forms/allitems.aspx

Comments on the draft decree must be accompanied by the appropriate technical justification during the national public consultation process.

It should be noted that, since this is a technical regulation, this process is just beginning. Once the national public consultation is completed, the comments received will be answered, adjustments will be made to the draft decree, and the required process will continue, which includes several stages such as: international public consultation, proceedings before the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC in Spanish) and the Administrative Department of Public Administration (DAFP in Spanish) on the draft technical regulation, and proceedings before the Legal Department of the Ministry for the issuance of the final version of the technical regulation.

All of the above will allow making the required adjustments to the text, with due technical justification, prior to the implementation of the standard.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

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Codex – REPORT OF THE FIFTY FOURTH SESSION OF THE CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD ADDITIVES Chengdu, China 22 – 26 April 2024

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The Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) held its fifty-fourth session in Chengdu, China, from 22 to
26 April 2024, at the kind invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Dr Yongxiang Fan,
Professor, Deputy Director, China National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment, chaired the session,
which was attended by 41 Member Countries, one Member Organization, 23 Observer Organizations, FAO
and WHO. A list of participants is contained in Appendix I.

English Version

REP24_FADownload

Spanish version

REP24_FAsDownload

México – Civil organizations present a reconsideration appeal to recognize sugary or sweetened beverages with sweeteners as health risk products

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In an urgent effort to protect the health of Mexican consumers, El Poder del Consumidor, a member organization of the Alianza por la Salud Alimentaria, filed an appeal requesting the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris in Spanish) to recognize sugar-sweetened beverages or beverages sweetened with sweeteners as health risk products.

The appeal is supported by the international scientific consensus, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) itself, which acknowledges that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to the prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular problems. Scientific evidence has also been presented on the addictive potential of sugar, sweeteners and caffeine, which are present in several of these beverages.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

Brazil – Anvisa announces that recordings of sectorial dialogues in the area of Food are available

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The National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA in Portuguese) announces that sectoral dialogues in the area of Food are now available on its platform. Two of the virtual meetings were held on July 4, at different times:

Periodic update of Regulatory Instruction (IN) 211/2023, which establishes technological functions, maximum limits and conditions of use of food additives and technological aids authorized for use in food.

For further information, you can access the original source in Portuguese

Guatemala – Project on frontal food warning labeling is reactivated

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The Regional Integration Commission of the Congress of the Republic dusted off a 2018 bill that seeks to force the food industry to adhere to the packaging, the main nutritional information of its products sold in the local market.

Bill 5504, Law for the Promotion of Healthy Eating, already known in second reading, would establish factories to put a label with nutritional warnings.

These recommendations would consist of black octagons that would explain whether the content is high in sugars, saturated and total fats, or sodium, in addition to other details of processed foods marketed in the country.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish