Argentina – Government proposes bill to repeal the Front Labeling Law

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With the aim of deepening economic deregulation and reducing the bureaucratic burden on the industry, the Government sent a bill to Congress that seeks to repeal the current Front Labeling Law (27.642).


The Front Labeling Law, enacted in 2021, established the obligation to include black warning labels on food and beverage packaging that exceeded certain critical levels of sugars, sodium, saturated fats, total fats, and calories. Its main objective was to provide clear and quick information to consumers at the time of making their purchases, allowing for a more informed choice.


The National Government argues that the repeal and review of the law aim to reduce regulatory burdens and move toward a “less interventionist” framework for the private sector. National officials maintain that some requirements generated additional costs for companies and operational difficulties, especially for small and medium-sized food industries. In line with this, business sectors linked to food production had repeatedly expressed concerns about the economic impact of the implementation and the need to harmonize criteria with international regulations.


The initiative involves the elimination of various central aspects of the current system:

  • Removal of the black warning octagons.
  • End of advertising restrictions related to foods with labels.
  • Removal of restrictions in school environments.
  • Suppression of restrictions on children’s characters on packaging.

The Government maintains that the current scheme, based on parameters driven by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), presents difficulties that affect both consumer interpretation and the functioning of various productive sectors. For the authorities, the current regulations do not take into account aspects such as:

  • Nutritional density.
  • The degree of processing.
  • The role of food within the dietary pattern.
  • The portions consumed.
  • The technological particularities of each category.


Additionally, the Government also questions the lack of regional harmonization regarding front labeling within Mercosur. The project warns that regulatory differences between the countries in the bloc create operational complications for companies, forcing them to produce differentiated packaging according to the destination market.
According to the Executive, this situation particularly impacts Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which face higher fixed compliance costs. The project proposes that the law would come into effect from the day of its publication in the Official Gazette. It would involve the removal of black warning octagons and the restrictions associated.

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Peru – Inacal promotes the consumption of superfoods with technical standards for lucuma and artichoke flour

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The National Institute of Quality (INACAL in Spanish), an agency under the Ministry of Production, ratified new Peruvian Technical Standards (NTP) for lucuma flour and roasted artichoke flour, two emblematic products of national biodiversity, recognized for their high nutritional value and with growing demand in national and international markets.

Quality requirements
NTP 011.042:2012 (revised in 2025) LUCUMA. Lucuma Flour. Requirements. 1st Edition

  • It establishes the quality and safety requirements that lucuma flour intended for direct consumption or industrial use must meet.
  • It must be free of foreign materials or impurities.
  • It must have a fine granulometry: at least 90% of the particles must have a diameter equal to or less than 0.25 mm, which facilitates its proper mixing with other products.
  • It must have a solubility greater than 60%, as well as the characteristic taste and smell of the product.
  • The packaging must be made from safe materials and be suitable for preserving the product’s quality characteristics.
  • It must not exceed the maximum permitted limits for pesticide residues.

NTP 209.456.:2007 (revised in 2025) ROASTED ARTICHOKE FLOUR. Requirements. 1st Edition

  • It establishes the quality and safety requirements that roasted artichoke flour, with or without thorns, intended for human consumption, must meet.
  • It must be free of foreign materials.
  • It must contain at least 21.0% protein and a maximum of 8.0% moisture.
  • At least 93% must present a fine granulation, capable of passing thru sieve No. 40, which ensures better quality and texture.
  • It must be packaged in containers made from safe and suitable materials that ensure its protection and preservation.

Caribbean – CARPHA Urges Action on Excessive Salt Intake as Hypertension and Heart Disease Rise Across the Region

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The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) continues to support regional strategies for noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention, including sodium reduction initiatives, through collaboration with regional Ministries of Health, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and other regional stakeholders. The Agency provides technical guidance on food labelling, public education campaigns, and surveillance of NCD risk factors, while also engaging in advocacy and research to support evidence-based interventions.

CARPHA introduced the Six-Point Policy Package (6-PPP), a regional framework designed to promote healthier food environments and improve food security in addressing childhood obesity and NCDs. One of the six policy recommendations includes establishing regional standards and time-bound salt reduction targets for specific food product categories. Building on this, CARPHA developed the CESA Regional Sodium Reduction Framework in 2020 to guide national sodium reduction strategies. The framework is built on four pillars using the acronym ‘CESA’: Change the food environment through policies and legislation; Educate the population; Strengthen systems capacity through research, monitoring, and evaluation; and Assess progress.

The Framework envisions a healthier Caribbean population where average salt intake falls below the global target of less than 1 teaspoon or 5 grams per day for adults and even less for children. Supporting this effort, CARPHA also developed Kids Can Cook Too, a recipe book featuring nutritious recipes with little or no added salt, fat, and sugar to encourage healthier eating habits from an early age.

Ecuador – ARCSA publishes modification of the sanitary technical regulations for food processing plants for special diets

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The National Agency for Regulation, Control, and Health Surveillance (ARCSA) thru Resolution ARCSA-DE-2026-015-DASP partially modifies the technical health regulations applicable to food processing plants for special regimes, distribution, marketing, and transportation establishments. The incorporated modifications establish that: after the issuance of a payment order, users have a period of ten days to make the corresponding fee payment, under the warning that the application will be definitively removed from the computer system. Regarding the procedure for rectifying observations within the process of obtaining the health notification, the administrators have a period of twenty days from the respective official notification to correct the submitted documents, allowing a maximum of two rectifications to the initial application before the file is archived.

Establish a term of sixty days for the health authority to carry out the documentary and technical review of the information declared in the applications for registration and modification of health notifications and good manufacturing practice certificates. Likewise, thru the inclusion of the seventh general provision, the institution is empowered to require duly justified supplementary information from the holders during the issuance of certifications or in subsequent control processes, ensuring the full technical compliance of the regulated products.

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Brazil – ANVISA makes available the materials from the sectoral dialog on food ingredient specifications

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The National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA in Portuguese) makes available the recording, presentation, and minutes of the sectoral dialog held on April 29, 2026, in which regulatory proposals related to the specifications of identity, purity, and composition of ingredients authorized for use in food were addressed. More than 700 representatives from different sectors of society attended the event.

The virtual meeting aimed to present the results of the analysis of the contributions received in Public Consultations No. 1324/2025 and No. 1325/2025, as well as to discuss the proposed regulatory approaches and gather additional information from the participants.

During the dialog, central aspects of the proposed Normative Instruction that consolidates ingredient specifications were addressed, including:

  • The delimitation of the scope of the standard, focusing on the ingredients included in the current regulatory lists;
  • The organization of specifications into three categories: approved by Anvisa, based on recognized references, and proprietary;
  • The definition of criteria and procedures to evaluate the equivalence between specifications;
  • The standards for identifying and updating proprietary specifications;
  • The harmonization of ingredient names and the adjustments to the annexs of the draft regulation.

Proposals for amending related regulations were also debated, with a view to regulatory harmonization, including adjustments to RDC No. 243/2018, RDC No. 839/2023, and regulations related to different categories of food.

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