Enhancing Export Success: Costa Rica’s Commitment to Food Safety

(This article was originally published in the September 2024 IAEA Bulletin)

At Alberto José Salas Jiménez’s expansive farm in Orotina, in Costa Rica’s Alajuela region west of the capital San José, cattle are reared in the country’s lush natural landscape. Taking advantage of Costa Rica’s fertile volcanic soil and tropical climate, Salas Jiménez rears cattle destined for international markets.

The range of local produce exported to foreign markets has expanded in recent years, but as it travels from farm to fork, it must go on a journey to ensure its safety. This includes rigorous testing for contaminants in meat products to ensure that they are safe for local consumption or foreign export.

Farmers like Salas Jiménez are allowed to use vaccines and veterinary drugs to manage animal diseases, and pesticides for weed control in fields where livestock graze. Residues from these chemicals can persist in meat, potentially entering the human food chain. Robust food safety surveillance is therefore essential for public health.

Costa Rica’s National Service for Animal Health (SENASA), which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, is responsible for ensuring that animal products meet national and international standards to protect public health and facilitate export markets. Previously, to meet global food safety standards, SENASA had to send food samples abroad for testing, with the costs borne by the producers. This process led to increased expenditure and delays in export approvals.

Since 2014, the IAEA, through the technical cooperation programme and the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, has supported SENASA in upgrading its National Laboratory for Veterinary Services (LANASEVE) with specialized equipment for testing food safety through nuclear techniques, and through the provision of training. LANASEVE now uses isotopic techniques to detect and quantify trace amounts of harmful contaminants such as pesticides, veterinary drug residues, chemicals and heavy metals, thus ensuring that meat is safe for consumption.

“Producers no longer need to send samples abroad, saving both time and money,” SENASA Director General Luis Matamoros explains. “This collaboration has strengthened SENASA’s operational capacity, ensuring food safety for consumers and improving the competitiveness of our producers by opening up new market opportunities without added costs for testing.”

Yajaira Salazar Chacón, head of food safety at LANASEVE, says that the laboratory can test for 410 compounds in 2024, compared to 54 in 2014. “Our laboratory now performs nearly 98 per cent of the required tests internally, with only about 2 per cent going to external laboratories. As SENASA no longer charges producers for food testing, this has eliminated a significant financial burden, making it easier for producers to meet export requirements.”