Brazil

Codex Contact Point

Brazilian Codex Contact Point, Divisão de Agricultura e Produtos de Base - Ministério das Relações Exteriores, Esplanada dos Ministérios Bl. H Anexo I Sala 531, Brasília-DF, CEP: 70 170-900

Telephone:
+55 61 3340 2211
+55 61 3347 3284

Fax:
+55 61 226 3255

Email:
[email protected]

Competent authorities

Name of authority:
- Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Secretariat of Animal and Plant Health and Inspection - SDA)
Mandate/competence:
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA), belonging to the Federal Government, aims to promote sustainable development of agribusiness for the benefit of Brazilian society. The MAPA, through its Secretariat of Animal and Plant Health and Inspection (SDA), is responsible for the control of the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) aspects of production of livestock, fruits, vegetables, grains, plants, veterinary drugs, pesticides, and inputs; it also registers and inspects products and activities that use genetically modified organisms, on behalf of the National Technical Commission on Biotechnology (CTNBio), which issues the relevant authorizations.
The general structure of the MAPA and information on its divisions, sectors and officials is defined by Decree nº. 9.667/2019, which can be found on its Web site at: http://www.agricultura.gov.br.

Name of authority:
- Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa), linked to Ministry of Health (MS)
Mandate/competence:
The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency was created by the Federal Law 9.782/99. The Agency is linked to the Ministry of Health, with administrative and financial autonomy, and with a board of directors with defined duration of mandate. Anvisa is responsible for regulating, controlling and monitoring products and services involving risks to public health. Food, inclusive beverages, bottled water, raw materials, packaging, food additives, processing aids, contaminants, pesticides and veterinary drugs residues are subject to Anvisa's sanitary regulation, inspection and control. The Agency is also in charge of sanitary control at ports, airports and borders, in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture. Anvisa also coordinates the activities of the National Health Surveillance System (SNVS), collaborating with the states and local authorities for the Brazilian Universal Public Health System (SUS) Those states and local authorities are also responsible for the inspection of food in markets. For more information the Anvisa website is: www.anvisa.gov.br.

INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point

Anvisa has designated an INFOSAN Emergency Contact Point (Laila Sofia Mouawad – [email protected]) and a focal point (Adriano Marafiga – [email protected]).

Food safety and consumer protection – laws and regulations

The current list of legislation, related to food safety and consumer protection in each country, is extracted from FAO's database on Food Legislation FAOLEX. While FAOLEX makes every effort to serve as a high quality, reliable source of information, no guarantee is given that the information provided in FAOLEX is correct, complete, and up-to-date.

The national Codex programme

National Codex consultative mechanism

Brazil's National Codex Committee, the CCAB, was established in 1980 by Resolution CONMETRO 01/80. The CCAB has 14 members representing sectors related to food: the Government, industry, consumers and academia. It is coordinated and serviced by the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro)
The National Committee comprises an array of Technical Groups monitoring the work of individual Codex Committees and coordinated by CCAB members. These groups are open to all sectors with an interest in the topic under examination.
Consumers organizations are members of the National Codex Committee and the Technical Groups. Besides, consumers are involved in the regulatory process of Anvisa through public consultation.
Since 1992 bodies representing consumers (governmental and non-governmental) have been involved in the work of the Brazilian Codex Committee (CCAB).
At a national level, in 2004 the National Council of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (Conmetro) approved the creation of a permanent commission of consumers with the aim of making viable the participation of consumers in standardization and regulation activities, recognizing in its terms of reference—among other aspects—that “… civil consumer defense bodies’ work together with standardization and technical regulation cannot be dispensed with, due to their legitimate nature in representing consumers’ interests and needs. One of the main reasons for civil bodies’ failure to increase their participation in the follow-up of standardization activities is the lack of financial resources”.

Providers of scientific and technical input to national consultation on Codex

Stakeholders from Academia, Research Institutes and Private Sector provide scientific advice on toxicological and occurrence data, and also validated control measures to support the development of Code of Practices. The public and private laboratories provide occurrence data to support the establishment of maximum level (LM). Anvisa has a technical staff and coordinates technical committees dedicated to performing risk assessment and suggest risk management measures for contaminants, hygiene and microbiological criteria, food additives, novel foods, packaging material and veterinary drugs residues.
The Department of Animal Products Inspection, DIPOA/SDA/MAPA, has Advisory Scientific Commissions on Microbiology, Pathology and Technology of Animal Products whose members are researchers from Academia, Public and Private Sectors that provide scientific advice on animal products microbiological data.

Risk Assessments and Scientific Data

National bodies providing risk assessment and scientific advice

Anvisa is responsible to perform risk assessment for contaminants, food additives, processing aids, pesticides, pathogens, packaging material, veterinary drugs residues and novel foods. When necessary, Anvisa calls a group of experts from the Academy and Research Institutes to provide scientific advices. Some Universities also perform risk assessment.
The Advisory Scientific Commission on Microbiology of Animal Products of DIPOA provides support to risk assessments and risk management decisions when it is required.
Moreover, DIPOA holds a specific Coordination that deals with characterization and risk management in animal products, which is the Risk Characterization Coordination (CRISC) linked to the General Coordination of Special Programs (CGPE).

Risk assessment, risk profiles, scientific opinions

Risk assessments of human exposure to deoxynivalenol (DON) and lead through in Brazil were recently held by Anvisa, with the collaboration of experts from the University of Brasilia (UnB), and will be available soon in our webpage. UnB has several publications in this area, which are available at http://www.toxicologia.unb.br/?pg=textos&id=13&nome=Publica%E7%F5es

Some safety assessments regarding novel foods (i.e. conjugated linoleic acid and noni juice) were performed by Anvisa and are available at: http://portal.anvisa.gov.br/documents/33916/395734/Informe%2BT%25C3%25A9cnico%2Bsobre%2BCLA.pdf/51ef5f37-bc4c-4f63-9969-d47de5dd965c

http://portal.anvisa.gov.br/documents/33916/388729/Informe+T%C3%A9cnico+n.+25%2C+de+maio+de+2007/f1652e84-4529-4844-9c82-9d0f889e1fd0

Other risk assessments performed by Anvisa to establish maximum levels (ML) of contaminants in the legislation or related to the approbation of novel foods or food additives required by the food industry are not available for public consultation.

Official Laboratories

Official Laboratory:
Ministry of Health - Official laboratories related to food safety are stated by Decree-Law 986/1969
Official Competence:
Official laboratories related to food safety are stated by Decree-Law 986/1969 (title 2, subclaus XVI) as a specific technic institution of Ministry of Health or with the same assignments in states, counties and federal district, with delegated authority. Decree 2031/2004 defined the structure of SISLAB (Brazilian System of Laboratories of Public Health), which definition of the units of Brazilian Network of Health Surveillance Laboratories. Those laboratories are listed below:
INCQS: National Institute of Health Quality Control
LACEN AC: Public Health Laboratory of Acre
LACEN AL: Public Health Laboratory of Alagoas
LACEN AP: Health Public Laboratory of Amapá
LACEN AM: Public Health Laboratory of Amazonas
LACEN BA: Health Public Laboratory of Bahia
LACEN CE: Health Public Laboratory of Ceará
LACEN DF: Health Public Laboratory of Distrito Federal
LACEN ES: Health Public Laboratory of Espírito Santo
LACEN GO: Health Public Laboratory of Goiás
LACEN MA: Health Public Laboratory of Maranhão
LACEN MT: Health Public Laboratory of Mato Grosso
LACEN MS: Health Public Laboratory of Mato Grosso do Sul
LACEN MG: Health Public Laboratory of Minas Gerais
LACEN PA: Health Public Laboratory of Pará
LACEN PB: Health Public Laboratory of Paraíba
LACEN PR: Health Public Laboratory of Paraná
LACEN PE: Health Public Laboratory of Pernambuco
LACEN PI: Health Public Laboratory of Piauí
LACEN RJ: Health Public Laboratory of Rio de Janeiro
LACEN RN: Health Public Laboratory of Rio Grande do Norte
LACEN RS: Health Public Laboratory of Rio Grande do Sul
LACEN RO: Public Health Laboratory of Rondônia
LACEN RR: Public Health Laboratory of Roraima
LACEN SC: Public Health Laboratory of Santa Catarina
LACEN SP: Public Health Laboratory of São Paulo
LACEN SE: Public Health Laboratory of Sergipe
LACEN TO: Public Health Laboratory of Tocantins
County Laboratory of Belo Horizonte
County Laboratory of Manaus
County Laboratory of Recife
County Laboratory of Rio de Janeiro
County Laboratory of São Paulo
Analytical capability of those laboratories are available in: http://portal.anvisa.gov.br/laboratorios-analiticos

Law 9.782/1999 created Anvisa, defined the Brazilian System of Health Surveillance (SNVS) and established their competencies. According this law, one of the responsibilities of Anvisa is coordinate the network of official laboratories (title 7, subclaus XVII) http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/L9782.htm.

Official Laboratory:
National Agriculture Laboratory (LANAGRO)
Official Competence:
MAPA has six official laboratories, designed as National Agriculture Laboratory (LANAGRO) involved in food safety. They are located in Porto Alegre/RS, Campinas/SP, Pedro Leopoldo/MG, Goiânia/GO, Recife/PE and Belém/PA, all of them accredited in ISO 17025.

Surveillance of foodborne diseases and monitoring of food contamination

National surveillance systems – foodborne disease in humans

The Secretariat of Health Surveillance (SVS) of the Ministry of Health (MS) is responsible for the national management of the Epidemiological Surveillance System for Foodborne Diseases (VEDTA).
The Surveillance Unit of Hydro Transmission Diseases and Food (UVHA)/MS triggers the areas involved in the epidemiological investigation of the notification of suspected FBD outbreak in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). ANVISA coordinates the National Sanitary Surveillance System (SNVS) for the implementation of sanitary inspection actions of location involved with FBD outbreak to identify critical points in the food chain of the suspect food and to adopt adequate interventions and controls.

National monitoring systems – foodborne hazards in the food chain

The National Food Monitoring Programs are coordinated by Anvisa and executed in partnership with the states and local authorities, the Central Public Health Laboratories (LACEN) and the National Institute of Health Quality Control (INCQS). Such programs allow food quality and safety assessment, being important tolls aiming public health promotion. Moreover, they aim to improve the quality of the food in the country, as well as to guide the National Health Surveillance System activities. Currently, the National Monitoring Programs include, among others, the monitoring of food additives and contaminants.
MAPA is responsible to conduct regular inspections on slaughterhouses and other industrial establishments of animal products. There is also a national sampling plan to verify the microbiological and physicochemical compliance of animal products. The laboratory results support official decisions about interventions to ensure safety food.
Furthermore, the National Plan for the Control of Residues and Contaminants – PNCRC in Animal and Plant Products is a risk management tool adopted by MAPA that aims to promote chemical safety food produced in Brazil, monitoring the occurrence of residues of pesticides and chemical or biological contaminants in animal and plant products intended for the domestic market or export.