A law that is being discussed in the Congress of Costa Rica "would allow associations of activists to decide what individuals will produce, what shops will sell and what consumers are going to eat, with no technical or scientific basis."
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Chamber of the Food Industry:
Deputies push intervention law that will affect food production
The US Embassy has asked whether the government will support a moratorium of up to 15 years on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms.
In circumstances where the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica (MAG) is taking non-tariff measures to restrict imports that compete with local production, the Office of Trade Representative of the United States Embassy in Costa Rica, sent a letter to Minister of Foreign Trade, expressing concern about the issue, specifically pointing to the Minister of Agriculture as a driver of the moratorium.
Non-tariff restrictions applied by the Ministry of Agriculture put into practice its ultra protectionist philosophy, contradicting what the Ministry of Foreign Trade is doing, generating shortages and distorting the market.
An article in Nacion.com reports on how the Minister of Foreign Trade (Comex), Alexander Mora, "... criticized the lack of advanced warning from partner countries of Costa Rica, regarding recent sanitation blockages that prevent products being imported in those markets. "
Businessmen in Costa Rica will meet on March 17-18 to discuss issues related to the new buying habits of households and quality and safety standards.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Chamber of the Food Industry (CACIA):
Over 2,000 thousand owners, managers, executives and industry professionals from the food, drink and allied sectors will gather together to seek business opportunities with suppliers of raw materials, machinery, equipment and technologies.
In the last quarter of 2014 reports of food recalls and notifications of regulatory compliance increased by 16% particularly in fruits, vegetables and fish derivatives.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
Food recalls and notifications from the European authorities increased by 16% in the last quarter of 2014 compared to the previous period.
The clearest example of how dangerous the concept of "food sovereignty" is, comes from the example of the famine that killed 14 million people in China during a failed attempt at self-sufficiency in rice production.
As pointed out in an editorial in Nacion.com, the National Development Plan put forward by the Solis administration, in the chapter "agricultural and rural development" involves a socialist vision of food production, now outdated all over the world, attempting even to raise to the rank of constitutional law the concept of food sovereignty.
On November 25 domestic and foreign experts will be gathering together in San Jose to discuss the transformation and innovation of ingredients in the face of new food trends.
From a statement from the Costa Rican Chamber of the Food Industry (CACIA):
Ingredient suppliers have endeavored to present developments that meet new nutritional trends, in order to create products with different nutritional characteristics, according to the needs of consumers. For example, foods made from traditional nutrients have always existed, however, the ingredients industry shows a highly developed range of options for innovation in markets for products with reduced sugar, fat and sodium.
Due to the detection of new risks in some plant products coming from Asian countries, increased controls have been placed on foodstuffs entering from abroad.
From statement by the Foreign Trade Promotion Office of Costa Rica (PROCOMER):
In recent weeks, the European Union (EU) has seen the need to increase controls to ensure food security in the EU market.
The deadline for food exporters to update their details with the Food and Drug Administration of USA is December 31, 2014.
From a statement issued by the Foreign Trade Promotion Office of Costa Rica (PROCOMER):
Every company which manufactures, processes, packs or holds food for human or animal consumption and export to the United States must renew its registration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of the measures included in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The deadline for this adjustment will be from 1 October to 31 December.
On August 22nd the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will host a free webinar on the proposed new regulatory framework and standards of food safety.
From a statement issued by the Foreign Trade Promotion Office of Costa Rica (Procomer):
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will be conducting a webinar (online seminar) for free and in English, with emphasis on information of interest to small businesses on Friday 22 August.
New legislation establishes the same inspection processes for food imports and exports and domestically produced foodstuffs.
From a press release issued by the American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA):
Exporters in Latin America and the Caribbean who market their products in Canada will probably have to improve their agricultural health and food safety (AHFS) controls if Canada approves a proposal aimed at modernizing its regulations.
A series of new rules proposed by the FDA are in public consultation with the aim of improving practices in sanitary food transportation and avoiding tampering.
From a press release by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture:
Two new proposals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would force food producers and importers in the country to improve the practices of sanitary transportation of food and implement actions to prevent intentional adulteration. "
A new regulation imposes more requirements, more costs and creates more bureaucracy for SMEs who produce food for the local market.
From a press release issued by the Costa Rican Chamber of Food Industry:
"The Costa Rican Chamber of Food Industry (CACIA by its initials in Spanish) is requesting the Government to suspend regulations of the National Animal Health Service (SENASA) that are in process.
The European Commission has published its study entitled "Eurobarometer" with information on European consumers.
A statement from the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) reads:
The European Commission published last July the results of their study called "Eurobarometer" which contains general aspects about the European market, and also has information on the food consumption patterns of Europeans in its section on the safety and quality of food. This research involved more than 26,000 citizens from the European Union (EU), and determined that the quality and price of food is much more important than the food’s origin and brand. "The quality certifications are very important for buyers, and an increase has been detected in relation to the recognition of the different EU quality logos" the study authors said.
Experiences in trying to obtain self-produced grains at affordable prices for the population have been real disasters, with China being the best example.
A draft Law for the Approval of the National Integrated Rural Development of Guatemala proposes that "food security be based on the production of basic grain, under the concept of autarky, defined as food sovereignty, i.e.