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 The federal prosecutors office for the northern state of Amapá, a
main producer of açaí, said that the company Sambazon Inc had used
the genetic material of the fruit without permission.
Biopiracy is the unlawful appropriation or commercial use of
biological materials, such as medicinal plant extracts, that are
native to a particular country without providing fair financial
compensation to its people or government.
Sambazon representatives in Brazil and its headquarters in
California did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Privately-held Sambazon makes fruit juices, fruit packs, frozen
desserts and snacks, powders and energy drinks based on açaí
imported from Brazil, the company's website says.
Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, açaí is thought to be one of
the most nutritional fruits of the Amazon basin and has become a
favorite for health-conscious Californians.
The Brazilian government's environmental agency Ibama fined Sambazon
75,000 reais ($20,000) last year for not obtaining permission to use
açaí genetic material for technological development. In its defense,
the company said its products were made by simply adding ingredients
to açaí pulp.
The new investigation seeks compensation for the communities that
produce açaí in the Amazon rainforest in Amapá state, from where
Sambazon imports the fruit, the federal prosecutor in charge of the
investigation, Rodolfo Lopes, told Reuters.
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Besides failing to get authorization from Brazil's council for the
management of genetic biodiversity, Sambazon had not fulfilled a
promise to share profits from using açaí genetic material with the
communities that picked the berries, he said.
Lopes said a pickers association complaint in 2008 had led to the
fine and now the seeking of civil damages.
Founded in 2000, Sambazon began by processing açaí into packs of
frozen pulp mixed with guaraná, another berry from the Amazon that
contains natural stimulants, and selling it to juice bars and
fitness clubs in Southern California.
Açaí smoothies supplanted wheatgrass protein shakes as the drink of
choice among athletes and body builders. Sambazon now sells its
products in grocery stores across the United States.
(Reporting by Anthony Boadle, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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