The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) has published Ministerial Agreement 183-2025 in the official government gazette. This agreement introduces a new procedure for risk-based inspections at establishments handling unprocessed natural foods of animal, plant, and hydrobiological origin.
According to MAGA, the regulation aims to ensure that production, processing, transport, storage, importation, and exportation of natural foods meet hygiene and sanitary requirements to protect public health. The ministry has established a technical procedure based on risk analysis, categorization of establishments, inspection frequency, and verification using checklists.
The agreement specifies that inspections will be conducted by the Directorate of Food Safety. Its personnel will evaluate each establishment’s risk on-site by assessing factors such as production volume, type of food handled, and previous inspection results.
Clear obligations are set for establishments: they must allow scheduled inspections, provide requested information, and comply with corrective action plans. Failure to meet these requirements may result in sanctions according to the Health Code.
The agreement will take effect 30 days after its publication in the Diario de Centroamérica. MAGA states that this step strengthens the national food safety system and provides better support for the industry.
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