Latin America in the Spotlight as Dietary Supplement Regulation Evolves

30 Aug 2013 --- Key decision-makers from government and industry are set to convene in Colombia to address changing dietary supplement regulation throughout the Latin American region and its impact on consumers.

Taking place in Bogota on 4-5 September 2013, the Scientific and Regulatory Trends on Dietary Supplements Workshop comes to Colombia as it is recognised to be a reference for regulation in the Latin American region. The workshop is being organised by the Latin American Responsible Nutrition Alliance (ALANUR) with the support of the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) for regulators, policy and scientific experts to share ideas and identify new avenues in areas where legislation is not yet complete.

With changes in dietary supplements regulation being felt across more than 70 countries, the workshop will highlight regulatory trends across Latin America and worldwide. It will address the challenges and opportunities emerging in Colombia’s regulatory environment, including issues such as substantiating health claims and ensuring the safety of bioactive substances in dietary supplements, as well as the food supplements policy and regulation, current regulatory practices and plans for further development of the regulation in the countries that are invited to participate at the workshop. ALANUR Vice Chair, Norma Cavazos, said: “We have chosen Colombia for this workshop because of its dynamic marketplace. It is one of the largest single market for dietary supplements, and in many ways will be a springboard for the rest of Latin America.”

The workshop will gather authorities from particularly Andean Community member countries, such as Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and also from Venezuela, and Paraguay, together with academic experts to address scientific and regulatory trends around dietary supplements. Attendees will also be given an overview of the key regulatory developments and current industry requirements, intermingled with regular interactive ‘question and answer’ sessions. Key discussion points at the workshop includes the classification and definition of food supplements, the safety of food supplement ingredients, the requirements related to the use of claims in supplements and developing effective systems for quality, market access and control of these products.

“The workshop will provide the regulators the opportunity to debate the key regulatory issues in the region and the potential for change in the light of international regulations and practice,” said ALANUR Chair, Dr. Tatiana Pires. In addition, IADSA Regulatory Affairs Director David Pineda Ereño said: “One of the aims of ALANUR and IADSA is to encourage greater communication on the regulation and science behind dietary supplements, and we will continue to encourage further detailed discussions at regional and national level.” ALANUR is the first association of food supplements in Latin America at a regional level. It was founded in 2011 to contribute with the development of the regulatory framework of food supplements and ingredients. IADSA was founded in 1998 and, nowadays, more than 50 associations of manufacturers and providers all over the world are members. ALANUR and IADSA jointly cooperate on the aim of creating forums where authorities, regulators and other experts can share information, experiences and perspectives on the use, regulation and scientific trends of food supplements and ingredients.