As the largest food retailer in the country, the Carrefour Brasil Group believes it is possible to positively impact society by engaging partners in these efforts and encouraging changes at every stage of the supply chain. These practices are aligned with Act for Food, a brand positioning that reinforces the strategy of leading movements toward healthy, sustainable, and affordable food. Thus, together with the Carrefour Foundation and the IDH – Sustainable Trade Initiative, the Group becomes the first company in the country to market 100% beef that is traceable, from calf birth to supermarket shelf, and deforestation-free. The product has been sold since July in one of the chain's most popular stores, the Hiper Interlagos (São Paulo), because sustainability doesn't have to be expensive. This pioneering initiative allows consumers to access information through a QR Code printed on the product label.
The result is the fruit of a partnership initiated in 2018, with investments totaling over R$20 million in Mato Grosso, under the Sustainable Calf Production Program. The goal is the socioeconomic inclusion of 450 small producers, providing technical, financial, and environmental assistance for the development of a stronger, economically viable livestock chain that results in a sustainable product from the source.
The Group believes in the potential for socio-environmental transformation, including small producers economically and helping them preserve and restore biomes. The program's entire strategy is aimed at small-scale calf producers, with an innovative approach that seeks to make them more efficient, improving productivity on their properties, increasing their revenues, and opening up investment opportunities. This further reinforces the Group's commitment to combating deforestation, encouraging sustainable production, and social responsibility. It is important to emphasize that this is not a set of merely assistance interventions, but rather a development program for the individual development of these small producers, through consistent business models and access to financing and investment.
By Lucio Vicente
