IADSA Conference Gathers Momentum on Food Supplement Regulation Across Latin America

Latin American and international regulators, academics and industry representatives convened in Santiago (Chile) for IADSA’s Latin American Conference which coincided with the latest meeting of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses.

10 Nov 2010 --- Government officials from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, the European Union, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela joined scientists, trade associations and industry in Santiago on 29 October for the Latin American Conference on food supplement regulation to focus on the impact of future regulatory trends on companies and markets.

The event, organised by the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) opened with a message of support from the Head of the Food and Nutrition Department of the Chilean Ministry of Health, Dra. Lorena Rodríguez, and marked the first occasion that government representatives from across the region had come together to present their countries’ regulatory models.

Speakers presented and debated key regulatory developments in the different countries, and agenda topics included the definition of food supplements and the criteria for setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals, to the regulation and substantiation of nutrition and health claims.

“We’re delighted to be able to continue IADSA’s role of providing greater communication and solutions on both the regulation and the science behind food supplements,” said Peter Zambetti, Chair of IADSA. “The conference demonstrated that while there continues to be many different approaches to regulating dietary supplements, the principles that form the basis of these are increasingly consistent throughout the world. IADSA will build on this Latin American conference with increased dialogue to encourage further detailed discussions at national level towards achieving the best regulatory frameworks'.

Besides addressing the common issues that underpin regulation throughout the world, the Conference location provided the ideal platform for the launch of IADSA’s latest scientific report ‘The Scientific Substantiation of Health Claims’, which reviews ongoing recent developments and initiatives on the scientific substantiation of health claims around the world, such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines as well as developments in the European Union, the USA, China, Japan, the ASEAN countries and Latin America. It provides a snapshot of recent developments for methodologies, for the assessment of the totality of the available data and for the development of a scientific framework for weighing the strength, consistency and biological plausibility of the evidence.

Officials speaking at the event included Dra. María Luz Martínez of the National Food Institute in Argentina; Dra. Ana Claudia de Araújo of ANVISA in Brazil; Luisa Kipreos of the Ministry of Health in Chile; Dra. Liliana Peñaloza of the Ministry of Health in Colombia; Corina Hurtado and Dinora Pliego of COFEPRIS in Mexico; Alicia Zambrano of the National Institute of Food Hygiene Rafael Rangel in Venezuela; Basil Mathioudakis, Head of the European Commission’s Food Law Unit; Dr. Jinjing Zhang of the SFDA in China; Alejandra Chaverri of the Ministry of Health in Costa Rica; Abraham Ducreaux of the Ministry of Health; Dra. Laura Mendoza of the National Institue of Food and Nutrition in Paraguay; Jimena Gesto of the Ministry of Health in Uruguay.

David Pineda, IADSA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, said: “Latin America is a highly complex region in terms of food supplement regulation and many significant challenges exist for marketing products. IADSA is committed to helping support local associations through the exchange of information and provision of solutions to create balanced regulation across the region.”