The law which required packages of meat beef and pork products to have a label indicating the country of origin is no longer in effect.
After repeated resolutions from the World Trade Organization, which authorized Canada and Mexico to implement economic retaliation measures worth more than $1 billion, the US Congress has finally decided to remove the law that requires labeling of all red meat products which are sold in the retail market in the country.
As part of a strategy to position internationally cocoa produced in Guatemala the regional union of producers are working on a seal of origin and traceability.
The initiative by the Mesoamerican Organization of Cocoa and Fine Chocolate (Amacacao) is to create a mechanism to certify the origin, quality and traceability of the final product, in order to increase international positioning and increase exports.
Honduran textile companies are not prepared for the total elimination of industrial exclusions demanded by Peru in the negotiation of the trade agreement.
The textile sector represents 20% of the items to be negotiated in order to close the FTA deal with Peru. This negotiation focuses on issues relating to rules of origin of threads and a request by Peru to eliminate industrial exclusions.
Coffee from a single-origin is beginning to position itself as a premium choice over coffee blends from multiple sources which are offered by coffee shops worldwide.
From a statement issued by the Foreign Trade Promotion Office of Costa Rica (Procomer):
Dunkin Donuts is intensifying its participation in the search of a quality coffee. Recently it offered a new packaged roasted Colombian coffee certified by the Rainforest Alliance, which is the first single-origin coffee to be sold by this coffee chain.
At the first meeting of the Council of the European Partnership Agreement - Central America raised the eventual accession of Croatia and topics related to denomination of origin.
From a press release issued by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce in El Salvador:
On June 27, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, held the first meeting of the Association Council, the highest institutional body of the Association Agreement between Central America and the European Union, to oversee the fulfilment of the objectives of the Agreement and its application. This meeting was held between Ministers and senior officials, under the trade part of the Agreement.
Coffee regions of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have obtained certificates of geographical origin for export.
Acatenango in Guatemala, Apaneca-Llamatepec in El Salvador and Honduran Western Coffee's in Honduras, have obtained the certificates that guarantee the quality of the coffee produced in these geographic regions.
"The appellation goes beyond providing a good image for the country, it is a strategy for competitiveness for coffee growing," said Miguel Medina, vice president of the National Coffee Association (ANACAFÉ). "
The president of the Dominican Republic has warned the U.S. government about the impact the Trans- Pacific treaty in the textile sector in the region.
From a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic:
On November 27, President Danilo Medina sent a communication to the President of the United States, Barack Obama, in which it reiterated its concern expressed during the meeting held in San José, Costa Rica, in May, in connection with the negative impact which could come from the Trans- Pacific Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP) on the textile and clothing industry in the signatory countries of the DR -CAFTA and the region, if certain special concessions that could cause changes in the management and values of hemispheric trade, and on a worldwide level.
It is an issue to keep in mind to add value to Central American export products and to avoid trade disputes.
Months ago the Guatemalan Congress ratified a number of amendments to the Copyright Act in order to protect Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin as provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and requested within the Association Agreement with EU.
Cheese Producers in Costa Rica and El Salvador opposed the registration of the Italian brands Provolone Valpadana , Fontina, Gorgonzola and Parmigiano Reggiano.
The Association Agreement with the European Union (AA) will not come into force on August 1 for Costa Rica and El Salvador, but on October 1, as long there is a resolution to the conflict caused by Costa Rican and Salvadoran dairy producers who expressed their opposition to the registration of geographical origin of Italian cheeses.
The seal which refers to Colombian beans became the first denomination of foreign origin to be accepted in Switzerland.
The certification process lasted five years, but from now on the Confederation will protect the coffee from this country as a unique product in the world.
"The application for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) was filed on January 31 last, after five years of negotiations", reported Prensalibre.com.
Regulations have been approved governing schemes involving quality seals such as those designating origin, protected geographical indications, guaranteed traditional specialties and reserved terms.
A statement from the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) reads:
The Council of the European Union has adopted regulations regarding the quality of agricultural products and foodstuffs
The proliferation of international trade agreements brings the opportunity to add value to products by adding a mark of origin.
An article in Prensalibre.com quotes Fanny de Estrada, director of Competitiveness of the Guatemalan Exporters Association, who said that "marks of origin are the result of trade agreements. 'One country can demonstrate an interest in many marks of origin, but that's part of the negotiation.
A new law in Italy requires food labels to indicate the country of origin of all the products sold in the market, including fresh produce.
From the Spanish Commercial Office in Italy:
Italy imposes a label of origin for food products
Food products sold in Italy will have to include a label containing its origin in order to guarantee consumers maximum level of information regarding the food they consume.
The success of the food industry is based on innovation enabled by access to a wide variety of ingredients and input substances from outside the Central American region.
Rules of origin are included in trade agreements with protectionist goals that force food industry companies to work only with local raw materials. The idea is that this makes products seem more original but it seriously restricts the industry's ability to protected markets.