As of October this year, the U.S. country will begin one of the phases of implementation of the new front labeling on food and non-alcoholic beverages, under the Labeling Law NOM-051 of the Ministry of Health.
One of the arguments that support the amendments to the Standard is the situation of health and welfare of citizens in the country. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) 2018 (to date, the latest report released), 35.6% of children between 5 and 11 years old are overweight and obese. Meanwhile, children and young people between 12 and 19 years old report 38.4%, according to the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport).
Exporters are preparing for the new regulation that will be implemented from 2020 in the U.S. market, among which is the application of a new table of nutritional data in packaged products.
Representatives of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport) reported that both U.S. and foreign companies exporting to the U.S., must comply with new food labeling standards.
Companies in the region can submit their applications for new labels according to the new Central American Regulation on Pesticide Labeling until December 20, 2020.
The regulation amendment came into force at the end of 2018, and stipulates that after the authorities approve the changes to product labeling, companies will have one more year to exhaust the existence of previous labels in the market.
Starting June 2018 packaged products sold in the South American country must have a label warning about the high contents of sugars, sodium, saturated fats and calories.
In Guatemala, food industry businessmen are opposed to five bills that would change the rules on labeling and increase the tax on sugary drinks.
According to the Guatemalan Chamber of Food and Beverages (CGAB), bills that aim to increase VAT from 12% to 20% on sugary drinks and change the labeling rules, are based on misinformation.
Edible commodities such as fruits and vegetables are increasingly being used as natural dyes in food manufacturing processes.
From a report by PROCOMER in Costa Rica:
The call for transparency and clarity of the ingredients is becoming stronger and stronger, with the industry responding with more clean-label formulas with natural alternatives.Several studies have shown that most consumers believe it is increasingly important that the food or drinks they consume only contain natural ingredients.In order to ensure that the products concerned meet their expectations, 66% of buyers around the world will take time to critically look at the information that appears on the back of the product packaging.
As of December 13 all processed and packaged food and beverages to be sold in the European Union must include detailed nutritional information.
From a statement issued by PROCOMER:
In 2014 in the European Union, the European Regulation on Information and Food Labelling (Regulation 1169/2011) came into force.The standard improves labeling on all products in order to provide useful, readable and understandable information to consumers.
Companies that export food to the South American country must include a special label to identify products containing GMOs or which are derived from them.
The regulations of the decree signed in 2015 state that the deadline is 2018 so as to incorporate gradually, the new yellow label indicating if the food product contains any ingredients that have been genetically modified (GMO).
As of June 27, 2016 packaged products must have a label warning about the high levels of sugar, sodium, saturated fat and calories.
The new regulation also states that if the content of sugars, sodium, saturated fat and calories exceed the limits established by the new legislation, producers must label the container with a black symbol with white letters.
The legislation takes effect in July 2018 for food companies with sales of over $10 million a year and a year later for companies with sales of less below that amount.
Most food manufacturers will have to use the new label by July 26, 2018, but those whose food sales are less than $10 million per year will have an additional year to comply with the requirement. The FDA plans to carry out publicity and education work on the new requirements.
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.
The Government of Canada has submitted a proposal to amend the nutrition information included in the labels of foods marketed in the country.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office :
The Government of Canada introduced on June 12, 2015 its proposals for modifying food labels and nutrition facts tables, with the aim of providing Canadians with a clear idea of what they consume.
Certified organic products, labeled with details of the importer and personal sized or or small packages are some of the preferences of Norwegian consumers when consuming coffee.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer):
High concentration, with strong flavor and floury consistency are some of the features that coffee consumers in Norway are looking for.
"Clean" labels , healthy snacks, frozen and convenience foods, good fats and own name brands are some of the factors that marking out global trends this year.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer):
The main trends which will probably affect the food industry in 2015, have been identified by Innova Market Insights, from analysis of the most important events in the industry.
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.
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