Unified Food Labeling Rules to be Introduced in Mercosur

The Mercosur region is preparing to introduce new unified rules for food labeling, a move that aims to standardize regulations across member countries. This initiative is seen as a way to make the process more transparent by involving various stakeholders from the food supply chain.

The director of the Brazilian Food Industry Association (ABIA) has highlighted the importance of incorporating different perspectives into the dialogue, which helps base the discussions on concrete data and references. However, a significant challenge in Brazil is the availability and quality of data, particularly those related to dietary standards and public health indicators, which are crucial for accurately calibrating labeling regulations.

Although the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) sets the labeling rules, implementation falls on companies, with consumers being the end users. This underscores the importance of dialogue between regulators and the public to create balanced and applicable regulations.

The food labeling process is more extensive than it appears. In addition to industries and regulators, advertising agencies play a role in translating technical requirements into clear communication for consumers. Packaging manufacturers must integrate new information into their designs, and label manufacturers are tasked with ensuring all elements meet readability criteria, impacting production lines and suppliers in the dairy sector.

The topic was recently discussed at the Fispal Tec Congress, during a panel moderated by Novachi, which addressed general and nutritional labeling updates and their impact on the supply chain. Key players like Luciana Pellegrino, president of ABRE and WPO, and Liza Bevilaqua, senior manager at Nestlé Brasil, participated, indicating that major dairy and food companies are closely monitoring the regional harmonization process.