Danone Brazil published an official note denying the information that he had stopped buying Brazilian soybeans for environmental reasons and, consequently, would have begun to purchase cereals from Asia.
The company highlighted that it “continues to purchase Brazilian soybeans in accordance with local and international regulations” and that its acquisition goes through origin verification and traceability processes, ensuring that the input does not come from deforested areas.
Given the impact of the issue and the publication of the company’s positioning, the Brazilian Association of Soybean Producers (Aprosoja) spoke out accusing the multinational of discrimination and ignorance of the country’s agricultural practices.
Danone’s connection with Aprosoja
The president of the entity, Maurício Buffon, says he received a call from the management of Danone Brazil to clarify the matter. According to him, the company’s contact conveyed real regret for the statement given and also fear of a boycott of the brand’s products in the country.
“They or any other company has the right not to buy our product, but saying that our soy is not environmentally sustainable forces us to react harshly.”
According to him, the Brazilian market is very important for Danone and any other company seeking to establish itself in the country.
“A multinational that wants to be a true multinational has to be in a country the size of Brazil, with our trade. That [a fala da empresa] It had a very bad impact. He [o diretor da empresa no Brasil] told us that [a fala foi] specific to a product that is manufactured in Europe, soy milk there, which does not involve Danone’s soy purchases and business in Brazil. […] Nothing changes in the soybean trade between Brazil and Danone, what was before will continue to be,” says Buffon.
For him, the soybeans that the company wants to acquire in another country is much less sustainable than the Brazilian product, since it is not produced with direct sowing, and does not have Permanent Preservation Areas (APP), Legal Reserves inserted in the property. . “If anyone today has the strength to talk about sustainability, it is Brazilian producers and agriculture.”