Brazilian businesspeople unite in an unprecedented mobilization to drive improvements in national food systems. The first UN Food Systems Summit takes place tomorrow (23) and CEBDS will hold a parallel event today (22).
At a time when more than 30% of food produced in Brazil is lost or wasted, a change in mentality and processes related to Food Systems presents itself as a high priority topic. This is why the Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) and its associates have been mobilizing for months for the first UN Food Systems Summit, which takes place tomorrow, the 23rd.
There will also be a parallel event, led by CEBDS, today (22), at 3pm, with talks by Marina Grossi, President of CEBDS, Alejandro Girardi, Head of Public Affairs, Sustainability and Science at Bayer Crop Science LATAM; Philipe Ryser, CEO of the Ceptis Group and Juliana Lopes, Sustainability Director at Amaggi. The event, which will be broadcast on youtube of the entity, represents a milestone in the work carried out since 2020 with the collaboration of the 23 companies participating in the CEBDS Working Group, which have been mobilizing to promote the agenda defended in their positioning, towards greater inclusion of the sector in the 2030 agenda.
“CEBDS recently launched the Business Position on the Sustainability of Food Systems in Brazil, today signed by 8 entities and 18 companies committed to seven important pillars capable of scaling, across the country, a more sustainable way of producing and distributing food to Brazilians ”, reiterates the president of CEBDS, Marina Grossi.
It is worth mentioning that lost or wasted food emits greenhouse gases, as in addition to using all the resources necessary to produce it and take it to consumers, its decomposition in landfills is extremely harmful to the environment.
Food systems and land use generate “hidden” costs to the environment, health and poverty estimated at almost US$12 trillion per year globally. At this point, transformation paths by the private sector improve risk management. When successful, they also provide strategic business advantage and long-term value creation, rewarding companies through improved performance and cost of capital.
While there are many challenges and complexities in transforming food systems, there are also promising consumer trends that signal ways to accelerate efforts globally. Concern about the impact of food consumption drives purchasing decisions, such as alternative proteins and ethics in production. For example: the growth rate of brands linked to sustainability compared to others is 4x higher, according to The Nielsen Company. Furthermore, according to the Organic Promotion Association, there was 50% growth in the sale of organic products at retail in Brazil during the first half of 2020, and data from the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics shows that 14% of the Brazilian population declares vegetarian.
Faced with this scenario that is both worrying and promising, the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) also recently launched an important tool for implementing innovations in the country's food systems. Aiming to guide and engage major decision makers in Brazilian companies, the CEO's Guide on Transformation in Food Systems.
“The material brings the distinction of exemplifying the success stories of companies already engaged in the transformation of food systems in the country. Furthermore, an annex was added on business goals for 2030/2050 and the sector's engagement with the UN Food Systems Summit (from the English acronym UN FSS), which will take place in September 2021”, reinforces the president of CEBDS, Marina Grossi.
The document is inspired by original version of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a network of business councils for sustainability of which CEBDS is part, and developed with consultancy from ERM, based on consultation with various Brazilian actors, both business and civil society, public authorities and academia.
