Cofepris Updates Mexico’s Food Additives Agreement
The update is being advanced by Mexico’s Secretariat of Health through the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks, known as Cofepris. It revises the national lists of permitted additives, enzymes and processing aids and aligns the regulatory framework with scientific guidance from the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, the Codex Alimentarius and international regulatory agencies.
The revised framework changes maximum-use levels across several functional categories, including preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers, stabilisers and colourings. It also provides for restrictions or gradual exclusions of compounds that have come under recent toxicological scrutiny, while formally admitting additional natural-origin ingredients associated with clean-label formulations.
Dairy processors will need to examine products with complex formulations, including yoghurts, flavoured milk, dairy desserts, processed or melted cheeses and analogues. Reviews will cover phosphates, stabilising gums, thickeners and acidulants, as well as whether products retain their rheological properties, viscosity and emulsion stability at the revised concentrations.
The assessment also concerns finished-product shelf life. Companies are expected to audit research and development, quality and regulatory processes at processing plants to determine whether reformulated products continue to meet the technical requirements set by the updated agreement.
Manufacturers must manage transition deadlines and the periods allowed for using existing stocks of raw materials and packaging. Changes to additives or processing aids affect the descending ingredient list and must be reflected on commercial packaging under Mexico’s NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 rules on front-of-pack labelling. Failure to update packaging can lead to sanitary observations, product-lot withdrawals or fines by enforcement authorities.
Industry specialists cited in the report said that early technical preparation and cooperation with ingredient suppliers would be important for companies operating in Mexico. Recommended measures include preventive reviews of product portfolios and pilot reformulation trials before the updated requirements take effect.
