Concepta Ingredients stands out in the CEO Guide for the transformation of food systems in Brazil
The publication, developed and published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), in partnership with the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), aims to present the main business and non-business leaders operating in the food sector in Brazil.
Concepta Ingredients, a company of the Sabará Group specialized in natural and technological solutions for the food industry, was highlighted in the CEO Guide with the case study ‘Sociobiodiversity Valorization Program’. Focused on the food, beverage, animal nutrition and veterinary pharmaceutical, flavor, chemical, and nutraceutical industries, the company has the promotion of Brazilian biodiversity conservation in its DNA.
The ‘CEO Guide for the transformation of food systems in Brazil’ is a publication released by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in partnership with the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS). It is an adaptation for the Brazilian context of the document “CEO Guide to Food System Transformation,” published by WBCSD in October 2019.
Its main objective is to present interviews with business and non-business leaders operating in the food sector in Brazil. In light of so many global changes and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Brazilian food industry is undergoing many changes and faces major challenges to lead the key transformations in its operational systems.
Thus, the CEO Guide lists the seven main business pathways that can lead this transformation:
1. Transform agriculture while restoring the environment;
2. Generate and distribute technology and innovation throughout the entire food system;
3. Provide quality food for all: healthy, sustainable, and affordable;
4. Minimize food loss and waste;
5. Promote traceability to eliminate illegal deforestation and reward good agricultural practices;
6. Accelerate political and financial innovations to value sociobiodiversity and Brazilian natural resources;
7. Foster partnerships in the value chain to promote a circular economy.
In Brazil, biodiversity oils and butters offer various health benefits due to their natural content of vitamins and minerals, while ensuring sustainable exploitation and providing secure income for local communities. By promoting sustainable agro-extraction, Concepta Ingredients fosters biodiversity conservation through valuing standing forests. And by expanding responsible access to biodiversity, it is possible to increase knowledge around it, promoting awareness about environmental conservation.
What is the importance of consuming certified and organic foods?
The demand for healthier products and foods with provenance certifications is growing, making organic agriculture an increasingly viable and popular option. Today, consumers seek not only organic products but also reliability and ethics. Proof of this is that, according to the Organic Promotion Association (Organis), product sales grew by more than 40% in Brazil in the first half of 2020.
The organic system, for example, unlike conventional agriculture, prioritizes sustainability and environmental conservation, also taking social well-being into account. Thus, organic products are those obtained within a sustainable agro-extractive production system. This system benefits the local ecosystem, protects natural resources, respects the socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the community, preserves the rights of involved workers, and does not use genetically modified organisms or synthetic chemicals, following organic standards in all production phases.
In Brazil, also known as the green seal, organic product certification is the procedure that ensures a given product, process, or service complies with organic production norms and practices. This guarantees entrepreneurs a market differential and consumers the quality of food, attesting to reliability and provenance. To meet this, Concepta maintains its certifications current—both product certifications (organic and kosher) and management system certification (FSSC 22000).
Today, the company is considered one of the main suppliers of natural and organic ingredients: in partnership with communities and cooperatives, they collectively manage approximately 2 million hectares of organic cultivation under conservation, representing 1% of the Caatinga, 2% of the Cerrado, and 97% of the Amazon.
“We are committed to fostering the sustainable agro-extraction chain by developing products that encourage and prioritize Brazilian inputs and also engage communities, cooperatives, and associations throughout this process,” states Ulisses Sabará, CEO of the Sabará Group.
In this context, it is worth highlighting the results of the Sociobiodiversity Valorization Program, launched in 2000, which engages communities, cooperatives, and associations supplying biodiversity inputs:
+ 6,930 families impacted, including partner companies, quilombola communities, and indigenous groups engaged in Concepta’s supply chain;
+ 1.9 million hectares of organic land indirectly conserved through commercial relationships with these producers;
+ 27,890 people indirectly impacted by this relationship;
An average of R$ 7,500 in extra income per ton per family per year.
About Concepta Ingredients
Concepta Ingredients is part of the Sabará Group and specializes in natural and technological solutions developed according to the Sociobiodiversity Valorization Program. Based on innovation and research, the company offers organic and exotic ingredients supported by the training of families and conservation of environmentally sensitive areas across different Brazilian biomes. Its extensive portfolio includes technological inputs from international partners and ingredients derived from Brazilian biodiversity to meet the most specific demands of the industries it serves.
