Northwest Horticultural Council

Export Manual

CHILE

Capital: Santiago
Population: 18,664,652 (2024)
Currency: Peso
Official Language(s): Spanish

I. CHEMICAL MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVELS (MRLs)

Please click on the above link for a list of chemical MRLs.

II. CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVE INFORMATION

A. Chemical residue standards:

Chile maintains a national MRL list. Codex MRLs are accepted if there is no national MRL. When there is no Codex value, Chile will then accept EU value, if there is no EU value, Chile will then accept U.S. value. If there are no values available through this deferral process, Chile applies a 0.01 ppm default value.

B. Monitoring chemical residues:

The Ministry of Health is responsible for ensuring food safety and randomly monitors for compliance with MRLs on domestic or imported fruits.

C. Restrictions on use of waxes:

The Ministry of Health defers to Codex Standards for food additives, which do not allow the use of morpholine as an additive in fruit coatings.

III. ORGANIC FRUIT REGULATIONS

There is a mandatory certification requirement to market organic products in Chile. Law 20089 from 1/17/2006 states the labels “Organic product” must be certified. The National Institute of Standards (Instituto Nacional de Normalizacion) established Norma NCh 2439 in 1999 which established the voluntary rules for production, packaging, labeling, and sale of organic products for export. Norma NCh 2079 establishes the general criteria for the accreditation or organizations certifying products as “organic”. The Ministry of Health’s Agriculture and Livestock Services regulates organic production and certification. Please work closely with your importer as these rules continue to evolve.

IV. TARIFFS

Effective January 1, 2004, Chile eliminated its tariff on apples and pears as stipulated in the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement.

V. NON-TARIFF BARRIERS

A. Labeling requirements:

Labels must be in Spanish. Sticker labels may be used. Labels must bear the following information:

1. 1. Name of produce – apples
  2. Net content (weight) in metric tons
  3. Name and address of packer
  4. Country of origin
  5. Packing date
  6. Name and address of importer

B. Licenses and quotas:

There are no licensing or quota restrictions. Imports must be registered with the Central Bank.

C. Currency Issues:

None.

D. Pest and plant disease restrictions:

Apples and Pears: A phytosanitary certificate is required. Fruit must originate from areas free of apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) and plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar). Fruit must be treated with chlorine or sodium-ortho phenylphenate (SOPP) to mitigate risk of the fireblight (Erwinia amylovora) bacteria being transmitted. Pears must also be free of pear psylla (Carcopsylla pyricola). Complete details regarding requirements and treatment verification guidelines are available from your state department of agriculture’s commodity inspection staff.

VI. MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST TREE FRUIT INDUSTRY:

Washington Apple Commission:

Ernesto Baron
E-mail: [email protected]

VII. OTHER RESOURCE LINKS:

Governmental:

VIII. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Congress ratified the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on July 31, 2003, and President Bush signed the legislation into law on September 3, 2003. This FTA entered into force on January 1, 2004.