Central America and Caribbean Officials Debate Food Regulation

SAN JOSE, Costa RicaRegulators from several Central America and Caribbean countries, many of which are in the process of developing food supplement regulations, met in Costa Rica April 27 to discuss evolving food supplement regulation globally, regionally and nationally. The Central American and the Caribbean Workshop on Food Supplement Regulation, organized by the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA),brought together officials from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and the Central American Economic Integration System (SIECA), who debated regulatory issues such as the classification, definition and safety food supplements. Other aspects discussed at the workshop included science-based risk assessment for setting upper levels; communicating the benefits of supplements; ensuring quality of products, including Good Manufacturing Practices; and market access and control of food supplement products.

The workshop was an opportunity for the regulators to share the challenges that they face when evaluating food supplement products, said IADSA Chair Peter Zambetti. Many countries in the region do not have specific laws in place for food supplements, or are in the process of developing their regulations. At the workshop there was strong emphasis on the need to ensure the safety and quality of food supplements and the establishment of a system to control food supplement products on their respective markets.

David Pineda, director of regulatory affairs for IADSA, reported broad agreement among all attendees on the need to develop specific regulation for food supplements both at national and regional level, taking into consideration the latest regulatory and scientific trends in relation to food supplements and their ingredients. At present, in Central America only Costa Rica has developed a regulation for food supplements, which came into force in March this year.