This week IADSA brought together industry representatives from the food supplement sector, scientists, academics and regulators for a workshop in Brazil to share knowledge on food supplement regulation.

The workshop, organised jointly by IADSA and its member association Brazilian Association of the Foods for Special Uses Industry (ABIAD), was held on November 24. Participants took the opportunity to debate the key issues with peers and regulators with a view to improving and ensuring success in the industry as a whole.

Speakers included Antonia Maria de Aquino, Manger of Special Products (GPESP) within Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), Basil Mathioudakis, Head of the European Commission’s Food Law Unit, Dr Andrew Shao, Vice President, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at the US Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Carlos Gouvêa, President of ABIAD, and Byron Johnson, Chairman of IADSA.

Mr Gouvêa said that he hoped the workshop would provide both industry and regulators with new insights. “It is also significant that Brazil was chosen as the venue for this prestigious event as ABIAD is currently working on the challenges facing the Brazilian and Latin American market on food supplement ingredients.”

The workshop focused on Brazilian regulation surrounding various types of food supplements, the level of consumption of vitamins and minerals in Brazil, EU regulatory perspectives on the relatively new Food Supplement Directive (2002), methods for the risk-assessment of food supplements in the global arena and the safety of botanical ingredients.

It is the fourth workshop organised by IADSA in Latin America, the previous workshops were held last year in Mexico and Argentina, and in Peru in January of this year.