Work underway in Brazil to define the selection criteria for foods and drinks that can bear claims relating to functional and health properties could have an impact across the region, an industry expert has said.

EAS Strategic Advice Regulatory Affairs Manager Clara Giudice said that with the country’s significant influence on the region, the impact of the results from a working group set up by Brazil’s National Sanitary Surveillance Agency, ANVISA, in May this year, will extend beyond Brazil’s borders with potentially great impact on countries in the region with regulation under development.

Brazil created the multidisciplinary Working Group, made up of representatives of the Pan-American Health Organization, Brazil’s Health Ministry, academics and the private sector, with a deadline of 24 months to define the selection criteria for foods and drinks that can bear claims relating to functional and health properties and claims relating to functional properties for broadly known functions.

“While Brazil itself is a market of great relevance for the sector, various other countries in Latin America are currently developing or revising their health claims regulations, and developments in Brazil could very possibly have an impact on these,” said Ms Giudice. “Staying ahead of developments will enable companies to take maximum advantage of the opportunities that might arise across the region, from changes in Brazil.”

EAS Strategic Advice is holding a workshop Oct. 17 in Buenos Aires specifically targeted at helping companies understand nutrition and health claims regulations across Latin America. The workshop, titled ‘Nutrition and Health Claims: How to build a successful regulatory strategy for marketing food supplements and functional foods across Latin America’, is limited to a small group to ensure maximum participant value.