Açaí: The Ethical Cost of “Superfood” Production in the Brazilian Amazon.
This post was originally written on May 22, 2023.
Image created by Erica Turner
Abstract
Açaí berries have been an up-and-coming commodity in many nations, including the United States, for the past half-decade. This paper explores the ‘superfood’ categorization of food products and issues with their growing popularity, which includes false advertisement of health benefits, dependence on the labors of indigenous people, and the implicit suggestion to consume a less biodiverse diet.
Keywords: Açaí, Superfoods, Marketing, Child Labor, Workers’ Rights, Environmental Issues, Deforestation, Biodiversity, Neocolonialism
How the Marketing of Açaí Berries as a ‘Superfood’ has Fostered Environmental and Sociocultural Issues in Brazil
It’s no secret that food products are subjected to marketing techniques in order to create ‘buzz’ in the public eye. America’s growing demand for food that has plentiful health benefits, such as ‘natural’ foods, and produce harvested from pesticide-free farms, has inspired marketers to coin a new buzzword- superfood. The term superfood is associated with natural and ‘exotic’ foods that host a plethora of supposed health benefits. The açaí berry is a coveted ‘superfood’ that has become almost an overnight sensation, as the berry’s categorization as a ‘superfood’ has increased its popularity on a global scale. Though seen as a lucrative sector of agribusiness, the exponential growth of the demand for açaí berries has inadvertently generated a surfeit of environmental and socio-cultural problems in Brazil.
Wealthy nations’ demand for difficult products to harvest from other countries, like açaí berries in Brazil, assumes an imperialistic-style control over the people and economy of these nations. Although açaí berries do have many benefits, there are local berries that are comparable in terms of antioxidants and have significantly less of an environmental and social cost associated with the berry’s production. Doing a deep dive into a single ‘superfood’ exposes many pitfalls of this marketing tactic and will hopefully encourage the development of a better-informed consumer base.
Acai Berries
What is an açaí berry, and why did it become so popular? An açaí berry is a berry that is grown in Central and Amazonian South America that contains a rich amount of antioxidants. The berry contains a particularly sought-after antioxidant, anthocyanin, which has “been marketed with benefits like lowering stress and inflammation, and also improving memory” (Aurigemma 2023). According to Business Wire, the categorization of açaí berries as a superfood is the main culprit of their growing popularity. “The publisher has been monitoring the açaí berry products market and it is poised to grow by $317.55 million during 2021-2025” (Worldwide Açaí… 2021). The article itself confirms that “the market is driven by the increasing popularity of açaí berry as a superfood and the health benefits of açaí berry.” The growth of popularity is also being recorded. “In 2015 alone there was a 36% rise in the number of food and drink products launched globally featuring the terms “superfood”, “superfruit” or “supergrain”. The US had the highest amount of new ‘super products’ advertised in 2015, coming in on top at 30% (Super Growth… 2016).
Defining ‘Superfood’
Clearly, ‘superfoods’ are being pushed to people from all over the globe. With that being said, how exactly do we define what is a ‘superfood’ and what isn’t? Well, what we do know is that there is no clear definition. The combination of Harvard’s school of Public Health’s definition and the People and Nature journal’s explanation provides the clearest description of superfoods. Harvard has concluded that “A food is promoted to superfood status when it offers high levels of desirable nutrients, is linked to the prevention of a disease, or is believed to offer several simultaneous health benefits beyond its nutritional value” (Superfoods or Superhype? 2023). People and Natures agrees that there is no clear definition, but explains that all superfoods share three major characteristics: “(a) they are thought to have superior nutritional qualities, (b) they are thought to be produced in a ‘natural’ way, i.e. with little or no technological intervention and (c) they are associated with indigenous people and traditional production practices oftentimes in remote locations” (Magrach 2020). Superfoods are merely a marketing gimmick because no food inherently has superior nutritional qualities. There are so many foods that have great benefits, however, if they do not don the ‘superfood’ title, people may blind themselves to these underrated options, resulting in the consumption of a less biodiverse diet (Superfoods or Superhype? 2023).
Marketing Complications
Furthermore, superfood marketers abuse the consensus of people who view ‘food as medicine’ and advertise that their crops have special properties that prevent chronic disease. For example, “Royal Hawaiian Macadamia Nut petitioned the FDA in 2015 to allow it to say in advertisements that daily consumption of macadamias—along with eating a healthy diet—may reduce the risk of heart disease. The 81-page petition cited several studies done in humans, one of them funded by the Hershey Company, which sells chocolate-covered macadamias. The FDA ruled that it would permit a qualified health claim for macadamia nuts with this precise wording: ‘Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces per day of macadamia nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol and not resulting in increased intake of saturated fat or calories may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease’” (Nestle 2018). Macadamia nuts are an example of many foods that have been marketed in a similar style to açaí berries. That isn’t to say that food isn’t medicine- there are plenty of unbiased studies proving that certain foods and spices contain anti-carcinogenic and chronic disease preventative properties. However, it is the FDA-approved half-claims made by biasedly funded research (ex: Hershey funding research of nuts that they sell) that takes advantage of consumers who are trying to navigate which foods to eat in order to maximize their personal health goals. It is impossible to claim that eating macadamia nuts everyday will reduce your risk of heart disease when the #1 leading risk factors are “a poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity and smoking” (Mayo Clinic Staff 2022), so convincing people to eat your products because of ridiculous propositions that they will cure or prevent specific health issues is extremely unethical.
Unethical Farming of Acai Berries
The unethical side of superfoods extends far beyond the consumer. In the case of açaí berries, The Greyhound reports that child labor is used to farm the berries due to the weak branches of the palms, which could snap if too much weight is applied. The fragility of the berries means that they must be handpicked, so using machinery is not a very suitable solution to this issue. Machinery usage would also take away from the berry’s ‘natural’ production, which might exclude it from being a superfood according to People and Nature’s ‘superfood’ definition. For these farmers who cannot turn to machinery for help, “Some of the physical risks include falling from trees, getting impaled by their machetes, heat-induced ailments, and stings or bites from insects or venomous snakes'' (Aurigemma 2023). Companies such as Sambazon, one of the main açaí suppliers to the states, refuses to acknowledge that they use child labor and has not publicly mentioned any efforts to stop conducting the practice (Aurigemma 2023). As if using child labor wasn’t bad enough, the profit made from berry farming is not nearly enough to mitigate the risk that farmers face every time they climb one of those trees.
For as much risk as farmers are taking, costs are still not covered during the off-season. “The communities visited in this study need to overcome the strong financial dependence on the income provided by the açaí, especially for the off-season period, in order to ensure environmental and economic sustainability” (Itabirici 2019). The relationship between wealthy nations, such as America, and the origin of foods that they import, such as açaí berries from Brazil, suggests a likeness to neocolonial relations. American demand for açaí berries inadvertently forces communities in Brazil to produce the product, even though the means of obtaining the desired crop is destroying their lands, using immoral labor practices, and not adequately paying them for their work.
Environmental Issues
In addition to the ethical issues, a whole laundry list of environmental issues has emerged as a result of the internationalization of the fruit. According to People and Nature, “This palm, originally from the Amazon basin, used to naturally grow in lowland floodplains. However, the increase in the demand for its fruits…and the dramatic increase in its price has led to the rapid expansion of açaí plantations, now intensively managed to increase fruit production. The once-identified as an example of a non-timber forest product that could be used to promote conservation in the Amazon area is causing considerable changes in forest structure due to its intensive management … [forest] thinning is projected to lead to a reduction of 50% in native tree species diversity and 63% of pioneer species and a consequent homogenization of the plant community” (Magrach 2020). The loss of biodiversity and the depletion of resources that are necessary to grow the berry can be devastating for the future of the Amazon. The habitat loss due to forest thinning and the overproduction of a single crop disrupts the entire ecosystem, especially in regards to pollination and other processes that impact the sustainability of growing more açaí (Magrach 2020). Açaí farming also leads to rising CO2 levels, which is known to exacerbate climate change. In addition, ecosystem damage is affecting many smaller farming communities in the Brazilian Amazon. “Research results indicate that farmers are abandoning subsistence production in annual fields to make room for açaídominated agroforests''(Steward 2013). Utilizing all of the fields for the same crop can lead to eroded soil and lack of nutrients available to continue growing the açaí, further shortening the longevity of açaí production.
Furthermore, the environmental impacts of exporting açaí are more intense than the carbon footprint of other harvested fruits.The berry has a short shelf life, which is why the only form it can be sold in America is as a frozen product. Shortly after being harvested, the fruit is extracted into a puree, frozen and shipped internationally (Magrach 2020). Chartering freezers of açaí berry puree increases ecological footprint, since you need to use energy to keep the freezers operating, in addition to the energy required to transport the fruit across the globe. Packaging of imported products like açaí contributes to the emissions issue maybe even more than transportation does. “Each form of packaging uses a lot of resources like energy, water, chemicals, petroleum, minerals, wood and fibers to produce. Its manufacture often generates air emissions including greenhouse gasses, heavy metals and particulates, as well as wastewater and/or sludge containing toxic contaminants” (The Environmental… 2018). The extraction, freezing, packaging, and transportation of acai berry puree, combined with the loss of biodiversity due to farmers’ hyperfocus on açaí products, are raining down an overabundance of environmental problems for Brazil and beyond.
Moving Forward
In conclusion, açaí berries being sold as a ‘superfood’ has exponentially increased açaí berry production in Brazil, which has unveiled many sociocultural and environmental issues. The desire for naturally produced, exotic foods “indicates widespread dissatisfaction with dominant food production practices and nutrition discourses, worthy of further interrogation.” (Loyer 2018). Taking advantage of farmers in other countries, just for them to not be paid enough to make it through the off-season is a signal that superfood production “reinforces neocolonial social and economic relations” (Loyer 2018). It is also extremely unethical, since child labor is practically required in order to harvest the fruit.
Moving forward, an emphasis should be placed on consuming locally grown ‘natural’ foods, regardless of their ‘superfood’ status. Eating locally means that you are able to eat fresh foods, which inherently taste better and also the foods may contain more nutrients (ex: kale is blanched before being frozen, which means that cancer-fighting enzymes are destroyed before the kale is consumed) (How to Freeze Kale). Eating locally is both better for your wallet and also economically supports your community. Furthermore, it reduces the carbon footprint of your favorite foods since they likely will not be traveling as far as an airplane full of harvest would be, and also will not use lots of co2 emitting packaging practices that big companies use.
Although açaí berries have a very high concentration of multiple antioxidants, there are many local berries (such as blueberries and strawberries in Massachusetts) that also contain many great antioxidants, meaning that açaí does not have to be an integral part of your diet. Arguably it should not be a part of your diet, since it is unnecessary and the benefits do not outweigh the cons. The next time you want to purchase a ‘superfood’, consider the marketing behind the item and the place that the food originates; What is the social and environmental cost of consuming this item? Are the ‘superfood’ claims true? And are there locally sourced alternatives? These three key questions can help lead us away from succumbing to superfood marketing, and also aid in becoming better informed consumers.
References
Aurigemma, R. (2023, February 6). The Price of Açaí: How a Smoothie Bowl is Made from One of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the World. The Greyhound. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://thegreyhound.org/13135/news/the-price-of-acai-how-a-smoothie-bowl-is-made-from-one-of-the-most-dangerous-jobs-in-the-world/
How to Freeze Kale – Soil Born Farms. (n.d.). Soil Born Farms. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://soilborn.org/recipe/how-to-freeze-kale/
Itabirici de Souza e Silva Junior, Et. Al. (2019, April 15). Socio-economics of Acai Production in Rural Communities in the Brazilian Amazon: A Case Study in the Municipality of Igarapé-Miri, State of Pará. Journal of Agricultural Science, 11(5), 215-223. https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v11n5p215
Loyer, J., & Knight, C. (2018, August 13). Selling the “Inca superfood”: nutritional primitivism in superfoods books and maca marketing. Food, Culture, & Society, 21(4), 449-467. 10.1080/15528014.2018.1480645
Magrach, A., & Sanz, M. J. (2020, April 29). 10.1002/pan3.10085. People and Nature, 267-278. 10.1002/pan3.10085
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022, August 25). Heart disease - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353118
Nestle, M. (2018, October 23). Superfoods' Origins in Marketing and Industry Research. The Atlantic. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/10/superfoods-marketing-ploy/573583/
Steward, A. (2013, July 24). Reconfiguring Agrobiodiversity in the Amazon Estuary: Market Integration, the Açaí Trade and Smallholders’ Management Practices in Amapá, Brazil. Human Ecology, 41(6), 827-840. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-013-9608-6
Superfoods or Superhype? | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (n.d.). Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/superfoods/
Super growth for “super” foods: New product development shoots up 202% globally over the past five years. (2016, May 5). Mintel. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.mintel.com/press-centre/super-growth-for-super-foods-new-product-development-shoots-up-202-globally-over-the-past-five-years/super gro
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