National fruit label acai seen warding off ‘biopiracy’

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil has declared the acai berry a national fruit, a move to stamp its ownership on the popular “superfood” as concerns grow about foreign companies staking claims to the Amazon’s biological riches.

Acai has been a savory staple in the Amazon for centuries, eaten as a thick paste alongside fish and manioc flour.

The dark purple berry went global in the early 2000s after it was reinvented as a sweet sorbet, often topped with granola and fruit, and marketed for its antioxidant-rich properties.

Acai’s active ingredients piqued the interest of food and cosmetic companies worldwide.

In one case cited in parliamentary debates, a Japanese company trademarked the use of the name acai in 2003. It took Brazil four years to cancel the registration.

Cases like these drove the law declaring acai a national fruit, first introduced in 2011 and signed earlier this month.

Brazil’s agriculture ministry told Agence France-Presse the measure helps showcase acai as a “genuinely Brazilian product” that generates income for thousands of Amazonian families.

However, experts say the law is largely symbolic and aimed at highlighting the challenge of growing international interest in a wide range of fruits native to the Amazon.

Brazil is one of several countries increasingly concerned about so-called “biopiracy,” the use of genetic resources without permission or benefit-sharing.

The law “helps prioritize the issue on the public agenda,” said Bruno Kato, founder of Horta da Terra, a company that develops and markets Amazonian ingredients.