On August 28th, 2017, the Executive Power issued Decree No. 7634, by which Article 162 of Law No. 836/1980 – Sanitary Code – Article which sets forth the rules for the authorization to operate and establishment of corporations that offer foods and foodstuffs to the public – and established the requirement and conditions for the performance of the Technical Directors of said corporations.

The relevant aspects of the Decree are the following:

• – The necessity of a Technical Director, responsible of the implementation and control of the quality and safety of foods that are manufactured, fractioned, imported and commercialized by Establishments related to food, food products and food stuffs in order for such establishments to operate;
• – Important definitions in the terms of the law, such as what may be understood by Technical Director, Food Establishments, among other;
• – The professionals that may operate as Technical Director, for instance, Food Technologists, Doctors in Industrial Chemistry as well as Nutritionists that have performed post-graduate studies in the area of Food Sciences or Management of Food Services;
• – The responsibilities of the Technical Directors; and
• – The joint responsibility of the Establishment and the Technical Director.

The complete text of the Decree (in Spanish) may be accessed here