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The Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG) will be able to certify domestic and foreign establishments that process meat, dairy, aquaculture, and fishery products, following the Legislative Assembly’s approval, with 58 votes, of reforms to the Law on the Protection of Plant Health, Animal Health, and the Safety of Unprocessed Foods of Plant or Animal Origin.
The modifications aim to strengthen sanitary controls, modernize certification processes, and streamline mechanisms related to the import and export of food of animal and plant origin.
With these reforms, the MAG officially expands its authority to certify the processing of poultry, pork, beef, dairy products and their mixtures, honey, egg products, as well as aquaculture and fishery products.
In addition to certifying establishments within and outside the country, the institution will also be able to implement control, validation, verification, and sanitary oversight measures for these types of food products. As approved by the deputies, the amendments provide greater legal certainty to producers, importers, and other stakeholders in the food sector by more clearly defining the Ministry’s responsibilities regarding health oversight and certification.
One of the main changes was made to Article 4 of the law, which incorporates new powers to strengthen the regulation and oversight of food products of animal origin.
The legislation also includes a new section entitled “Provision Regarding Meat Products, Dairy Products and Dairy Mixtures, Honey, Egg Products, Aquaculture, and Fisheries Products”.
With this, El Salvador will be required to adopt equivalency measures based on international best practice standards and trade agreements ratified by the country. This will allow for the standardization of health processes with international standards and facilitate the trade of these products in foreign markets.
Authorities believe that these provisions will contribute to strengthening food safety and improving confidence in production and marketing processes for both domestic consumption and export.
Another point incorporated into the reforms establishes specific rules for dairy products and their mixtures, which must comply with Reglamento Técnico Centroamericano (RTCA) 67.04.65:12 related to the use of dairy terms.
This entails technical provisions regarding the naming, composition, and marketing of dairy products, with the aim of ensuring greater clarity for consumers and producers.
The reforms are part of the measures aimed at modernizing the country’s agri-food health system and strengthening the Ministry of Agriculture’s institutional capacities in certification and health surveillance processes.
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