A Seal for Locavores

According to the Random House Dictionary (2012 edition) the word locavore was coined in 2005, on the model of carnivore, herbivore and omnivore. The dictionary defines locavore as:

(noun) a person who makes an effort to eat food that is grown, raised or produced locally, usually within 100 miles of home

As in many places around the globe, Brazilians consciousness as to the origins of the food they ingest has been raised in recent years, and Brazilians, just like Americans, Australians or Germans, are concerned about all the issues involved in the eating of food produced or processed far from home and transported for long distances en route to the consumer.

Fortunately for those Brazilians who care about such issues, those who might call themselves "locavoros", a large percentage of the food eaten in Brazil is produced in the same region as it is sold and eaten, and most food comes from family farms, or small producers, and not from multinational agri-business giants. In the state of Ceará, where Flavors of Brazil is based, the ministry of agricultural development estimates that 70% of the food consumed in the state is grown or produced there on family farms.


Recognizing that consumers want more information about the origin of their food, and wanting to support and encourage local production of food, the ministry recently launched a new program involving a seal of origin for local products called "Selo Agricultura 100% Familiar" or, in English "The 100% Family Agriculture Seal." The seal is awarded to farmers and small food producers who can show that their products are local, produced or raised on family farms, and can prove that the products are environmentally sustainable, meet certain sanitary standards, that animals are treated humanely and that no child labor was used. Once these conditions are met, a farmer or food producer can apply to the ministry for a seal that he or she is entitled to use on labels, in advertising, and in signs.


To date, the ministry has issued 30 seals, to enterprises as diverse as beekeeping and honey production, rice and guava farming, fishing cooperatives and yogurt and cheese producers. There are an additional 120 enterprises whose applications are currently being investigated, and 320 producers have begun the certification process.


The seal, whose design was chosen by the public from among a number of contest entries, has been registered and copyrighted, and should begin to be seen on products in the first quarter of 2012.


In recent posts of Flavors of Brazil, we've highlighted similar seals certifying sustainable crab fisheries and shrimp aquaculture in Ceará. Such certification seems to be a growing trend here, and one that Flavors of Brazil endorses and applauds.

Eating Locally in Brazil

The first decade of the 21st century saw the birth of the locavore movement in many scattered corners of the world - a combination of ecological, sociological and heath philosophies that averred that eating food from "one's own backyard" made sense in any number of ways. Food that hadn't travelled 3000 miles or more from the farmer's field to the family dinner table was heathier, supported a sustainable community of farmers, and was better for the environment. Popularized by the international Slow Food movement, in books such as "The 100 Mile Diet", on TV programs, in newpapers and magazines and on the internet, the locavore movement has become a component of our contemporary zeitgeist.

A recent article in my local newpaper here in Fortaleza, O Diário do Nordeste, provided some interesting statistics about "eating locally" in the state of Ceará. It seems that this state in Brazil's northeast is doing a good job of supporting local agriculture and eating local food. What I find interesting is the supposition that this is not the result of a locavore revolution, but rather the continuation of traditional practices of food sourcing. I do notice in supermarkets in Fortaleza that local products are beginning to be highlighted as such, but I think that most local residents eat locally because that is the way they have always assured good quality, low price and reasonable availability.

The article points out that the family farm still provides the bulk of the food consumed in Ceará. Approximately two-thirds of all food that arrives at the family table in Ceará originates on family farms. I'm sure that this is a significantly higher percentage than in most, if not all, metropolitan areas in North America and Europe. For example, 82% of the dried beans consumed in Ceará come from family farms, as does 81% of the corn, 78% of the manioc, 64% of the rice, 77% of the pork products and 76% of the milk. In the case of fruits, 55% of total consumption comes from family farms within the state.

The economic pull of agri-business is strong in Brazil, but to date seems to concentrate on the export market, leaving local consumption to local farmers. One fervently hopes that these economic behemoths continue to ignore the domestic market here, so that in the future Brazilians will not have to start all over again to create a sustainable network of local, family-owned farms, as locavores in the Northern Hemisphere are having to do right now.