Carrefour Brasil has introduced 100% traceable, 'deforestation-free' beef to its Interlagos hypermarket outlet in São Paulo, in what the retailer says is a first for Brazil.
Consumers will be able to access information about the product's supply chain through a QR Code stamped on the product’s label.
Sustainable Trade Initiative
The pioneering initiative is the result of a partnership with The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) which began in 2018, when more than €3.5 million were invested in the Bezerros Sustainable Production Programme, in the state of Mato Grosso.
Carrefour Brasil supported the calf program for three years, which saw each calf ear-tagged, and a sophisticated record kept on each animal, including information on the parents, date and place of birth, as well as all the transfers between farms during the animal’s life.
Under the terms of the scheme, 450 farmers will be supported, it will involve over 135,000 cattle and protect or restore over 160,000 hectares of land.
It provides technical, financial and environmental assistance to small producers for the development of a stronger livestock chain that is economically viable and results in a sustainable product from the origin and lower final price.
Carrefour Brasil and the IDH are already preparing the next stage, which will see the launch of a national protocol, third-party audit, with procedures and processes focused on the guarantee of social and environmental product origins.
Sustainable Growth
The Calves program supports the government of Mato Grosso’s ambitious sustainable growth strategy, Produce, Conserve and Include (PCI).
Launched at the UN Paris Climate Conference in 2015, the strategy aims to increase agricultural and livestock production and efficiency; conserve remaining natural vegetation; and improve the inclusion of smallholder farmers and local communities by 2030.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
