Costa Rica implements new nutrition mandates and sustainability measures

Costa Rica has launched a national nutrition plan to address rising rates of non-communicable chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, and to support an aging population. The initiative moves beyond voluntary guidelines to establish strict legal mandates for food labeling, advertising, and nutritional content. Companies in the food and beverage sectors must now audit their portfolios to comply with Ministry of Health standards to avoid administrative penalties.

In a separate development regarding corporate standards, the National Sustainability Council (CNS) is driving the ‘State of Sustainability in Costa Rica 2026’ initiative. This project aims to create the first comprehensive national diagnostic tool to measure business, social, and environmental sustainability. This comes as new financial regulations and international standards make environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management a requirement for accessing credit, insurance, and investment.