The preference of Ecuadorian consumers for consuming snacks has generated that more and more brands lean towards the elaboration of products of origin organic.
In fact, this is reflected in the fact that 25% of the register of organic products in the country that appear in the Phyto and Zoo Sanitary Regulation and Control Agency (Agrocalidad), and destined for local consumption and export, correspond to the segment of snacks. That is, about 315 products.
Quinoa cookies with seeds, yucca chips fried in coconut oil with pink salt, organic ripe chifles, dehydrated fruits sweetened with panela and seeds covered in dark chocolate are some of these snacks that are gradually gaining space on national hangers. and international.
According to the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries (MPCEIP)the snacks They are generally made from Andean grains such as quinoa, fruits such as bananas, plantains, mangoes, strawberries, coconuts, pumpkins, tubers such as cassava, or mixes of organic fruits and vegetables.
In accordance with data from the National Customs Service of Ecuador (Senae), provided by the MPCEIP, there are ten processing companies snacks organic, seven of them are exporting directly, while the remaining three supply the local market or sell their product to export merchants.
| Type of product registered in Agrocalidad | Participation percentage |
|---|---|
| snacks | 25% |
| chocolate | twenty % |
| dehydrated | 18% |
| Toasted | fifteen % |
| purées | 10% |
| frozen | two % |
| Others | 10% |
Lucia Ramos She has been a pescetarian (she consumes the same as a vegetarian, but includes shellfish in her diet) for seven years. She and her family made the decision to change her eating style due to an eating problem of her 8-year-old daughter. “We started by eliminating all dairy, red meat and little by little we leaned towards the consumption of more environmentally friendly products.”
To do this, Ramos says that he began to notice that in the packaging of the products you purchased has the organic sealespecially cookies and snacks which are what your daughter consumes the most. She says that finding substitutes for regular fries was complex. “At first I bought from Amazon, but then I immersed myself in the organic trend in Ecuador and little by little searching the internet I began to discover brands that offer this type of product.”
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One of the ones he came to was Yuniqa company brand Agrosupport. Verónica Oleas, head of marketing for the firm, explained that they offer chips cassava and organic banana, dehydrated fruits and vegetables. The former, for example, are fried in coconut oil as an option that seeks to reduce the consumption of vegetable oils whose consumption can harm health and the environment, due to questionable agricultural practices.
Of its total production, 90% is destined for export, especially to the United States, and the rest is distributed nationally.
“We have seen a growing trend since the start of the pandemic in the country that has even led to the opening of specialized stores to market this type of product,” said Oleas, who noted that Guayaquil is one of the cities that is most attached to to the consumption and sale of organic products.
Agroapoyo also has products based on the circular economy, such as candied orange peel, a product that comes from the waste of peel from fruit juices.
At local marketAccording to Production, it is difficult to determine the demand for this type of product. However, according to inquiries made to companies participating in the cluster from superfoods, the variety and volume of local sales has been increasingdespite the fact that greater promotion is required to encourage consumption, highlighting above all the nutritional advantages and health benefits of eating an organic diet.
Ecuador registers more than 9,000 organic producers, according to Agrocalidad
José Berrú, CEO of AMI RUNA Ecuador -which is part of Grupo All Market INC-, pointed out that the firm produces, processes and markets guayusa leaves with Fair Trade and HACCP organic certification. The production is destined for the local market and countries such as the United States. “There is work, behind the scenes, that companies carry out to spread the characteristics of products and their potential for health.”
For Berrú, the positioning of guayusa is on the right track. He cites that four years ago, if nothing was known about the product, there are now more than 20 drinks on the market that include this component.
Plantain Republic, which makes chifles and patacones, details that consumption on a national scale is still marginal, but that in markets such as Germany, France, Canada and the United States there is a greater reception. “Having an organic product seal is an added value and another opportunity in international markets,” the company stressed.
Most of the processed products registered as organic are made and marketed in Pichincha (760), Guayas (195), Loja (155) and the rest of the products are distributed in other provinces. There are at least 72 companies, including ten associations that are registered as exporters and 13 companies are registered as national traders.
producers in the country
The provinces that group the largest number of organic producers are: Napo (1,906), El Oro (1,005), Chimborazo (880), Esmeraldas (749), Morona Santiago (734), Manabí (638), Imbabura (595), Guayas (598 Loja (390), Zamora Chinchipe (354) Pichincha (267), Los Ríos (207) and the rest are distributed in other provinces of the country. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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