On February 28, a free seminar on the safety regulations that Canadian authorities require to market food will be held in Guatemala City.
From a statement issued by Agexport:
The Business Intelligence Unit at the Market Development and Commercial Promotion Department of AGEXPORT and the Embassy of Canada in Guatemala are calling on exporters who have experience in exporting food to the Canadian market.
A new law promises to reduce, from three weeks to three days, the deadline for completing the procedures required to export timber.
The new regulation agreed by consensus between the National Reforestation Association (Confor) and the government will take effect in about 15 days, according to statements made by the president of Confor to Elnuevodiario.com.ni.
From August 8 premium handmade tobacco leaf cigars will be subject to the same regulation as cigarettes manufactured with additives.
A group of tobacco companies in Nicaragua will be holding meetings in the US with local companies who have invested in tobacco plantations and cigar factories in order to assess the impact of the entry into force of the new regulation.
The FDA is analysing changing the rules in order to apply the same rules for cigarettes manufactured with additives to premium handmade cigars and tobacco leaves.
Tobacco industry entrepreneurs from Nicaragua and Honduras, as well as the ambassadors of both countries to the United States, have expressed concern over the announcement that the FDA is preparing changes in regulation in order to treat cigars in the same way as cigarettes.
On July 8 in Guatemala City a seminar will be held on compliance with technical regulations for exporting to Ecuador.
From a statement from the Ministry of Economy (Mineco):
A free seminar for Guatemalan businessmen interested in exporting to Ecuador: Effective compliance with Ecuadorian technical regulations for Guatemalan export products.
Taught by engineer Ileana Romero Santana, Coordinator of processing at Ecuador's Single Window System Ecuapaas INEN.
The European Union is proposing simplifying the approval processes for "novel foods" products, so called because they have no history of consumption, are produced with new ingredients or are "traditional" in origin.
From a press release issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer):
The European Union (EU) has taken up the proposal for regulation for novel foods.
The FDA now requires calorie information to be included on menus of restaurants, chain, similar retail food establishments and vending machines with 20 or more locations.
From a statement issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) US:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has finalized two regulations requiring the inclusion of calorie information on menus and menu boards in chain restaurants, similar retail food establishments and vending machines with 20 or more locations, in order to offer consumers greater nutritional information on food eaten outside of the home. The regulations are a requirement of the law on Affordable Health Care and Patient Protection 2010.
Training is being provided in Guatemala on Central American Technical Regulations for companies exporting food and beverages.
From a statement issued by the Guatemalan Exporters Association:
In order to expand knowledge and provide updates on general and nutritional labeling, and food additives for the processed foods and beverages industry, among other things; the Committee on Food and Beverages at AGEXPORT with support from the Department of Food Control Regulation of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, will be holding a training Workshop on Central American Technical Regulations (RTCA by its initials in Spanish).
On November 4th, the Guatemalan Exporters Association will be providing information on regulatory technical requirements to be met in order to export food to the EU.
From a statement from the Guatemalan Association of Exporters:
The Commission on Food and Beverage at AGEXPORT will be holding a seminar on the 'technical regulatory requirements on food exports to the European Union' on 4 November.
The absence of regulations defining rates and market operations prevents the region from taking advantage of the energy that Mexico will be able to export under the new energy law.
As Mexico prepares to increase its power generation and export surpluses, the lack of a legal framework establishing the conditions for selling energy through the Electrical Interconnection System for Central America (SIEPAC) is delaying the possibility of accessing less expensive energy.
Including information on food labels relating to "added sugars", updating serving sizes and calories are some of the changes proposed.
From a statement issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is proposing an update to the Nutrition Facts labels used on most packaged food in the United States. If the proposal goes through, the following will be some of the proposed changes.
Questions and answers on the application of Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on food information to consumers.
Starting in December 2014 the regulation No. 1169/2011 on food information for consumers will come into effect.
On October 25, 2011, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information given to consumers (hereinafter called 'the IAC Regulation').
It is estimated that there are more than 50 companies waiting for the definition of the steps necessary to legitimately use the trade mark 'Essential Costa Rica'.
With the publication of the regulation in the Official Gazette," the Institute of Technical Standards of Costa Rica (Inteco) will be able to apply the exam for evaluators to visit companies interested in becoming certified with the brand," noted an article in Elfinancierocr.com.
Two new programs propose verification regulations on foreign suppliers for importers of food used for human and animal consumption.
The new rules proposed by the Bureau of Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA), is in the process of public review and comment for a period of 120 days.
The first set of rules "... would require U.S. importers to verify that their suppliers produce foods that meet U.S.
The European Commission has approved the use of iron oxides and hydroxides for direct labeling fruits or vegetables using lasers.
From an article by the Costa Rica Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
The European Commission (EC) approved on June 3 the use of iron oxides and hydroxides on the surface of fruits or vegetables by laser, these components contribute to the marking of product information and may be substituted for labels made of adhesive paper.