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.

The workshops were held in October 2021 to analyze the regulatory issue of these foods. This was Anvisa’s first action to obtain data and information in order to identify and analyze the regulatory problem, its causes and consequences, in addition to mapping the affected agents. Representatives of institutions, civil society and the productive sector participated in the meetings.

Although there is still no legal definition, plant-based products include processed foods that are formulated with ingredients of plant origin. They seek a similarity in appearance, texture, flavor and other attributes to traditional animal products such as meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products.

It is important to note that Anvisa has followed and participated in discussions related to innovations in the food sector. Among the innovations are plant-based products, which have also prompted action by food regulatory authorities in other countries.