A claim over a Stanley cup led to deregulation of food imports.

An imported Stanley thermal mug triggered a chain reaction that culminated in a key change in Argentina's personal import policy. As a result of the controversy that erupted on social media, Anmat (National Agency for the Protection of Consumers) eliminated barriers to the entry of food-related products .

It all began with an informal message received by the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger . A user indignantly told him about his brother's case: he was being required to complete an ANMAT procedure to import a Stanley cup purchased from Amazon . The ironic complaint led to a discussion about excessive regulations and ended up reaching the highest levels of government.

It's worth mentioning that the Stanley cup, known for its heat resistance, entered the country like any other product. However , because it was intended to contain liquids, it fell under the jurisdiction of Anmat , which regulates materials in contact with food . This requirement triggered a specific process for personal purchases.

Post by Minister Federico Sturzenegger on the reasons that motivated the change in ANMAT regulations

X / @fedesturze

In this regard, the minister did not hesitate to respond with a direct critique of the bureaucratic absurdity. "Can't we trust ourselves to choose the receptacle we're going to drink from?" he wrote in X. He added: "You can put water in a can that had gasoline in it and there's no paperwork, but there is for a cup sold all over the world."

In addition to Sturzenegger's post, the issue escalated and reached Health Minister Mario Lugones , who immediately intervened. His team reviewed the regulations and recognized the contradiction between the applied controls and the actual use of the product. A few days later, a new provision was drafted and published to correct the legal discrepancy .

ANMAT Regulation 3280/2025 was published this Monday in the Official Gazette. It was signed by national administrator Nélida Agustina Bisio, with the participation of the National Food Institute (INAL). The text clarifies that ANMAT will no longer intervene in personal food import procedures, including food packaging .

In this way, the measure also reinforces the spirit of Decree 35/2025 signed by President Javier Milei, which had previously eliminated trade restrictions. However, operational obstacles remained in Customs that prevented this deregulation from being effectively implemented. The novelty is that the new provision now cleans up the system .

Thanks to this change , anyone will be able to import food or packaging for personal use without having to go through ANMAT (National Agency for Customs and Customs Administration). The process will be similar to that of purchasing clothing or electronics abroad: comply with the courier's conditions, pay for shipping, and pay the corresponding customs duties. The measure not only benefits those who want a Stanley cup, but also thousands of people who buy coffee capsules or other packaged food products. Previously, these items were caught in a regulatory limbo, with no clarity on whether they required authorization or not.

In that context, Sturzenegger publicly thanked Lugones and the Customs team for expediting the implementation. "This provision does just that: it cleans up the cluttered procedures and restores common sense to the system," he stated on X. The case spread among social media users and national media, as a simple glass ended up accelerating a reform that was stalled by bureaucracy.