Healthiness
In 2019, Seara worked to lower sodium, fat and sugar content in products, as part of a commitment to meet the Brazilian regulatory agency (Anvisa) standards and promote consumer health.
Highlights during the year include the kick-off of seven projects related to reducing sodium and fat and the development of product categories aimed at increased healthiness, such as Seara Nature – made using only natural ingredients, Seara Rotisserie and Organic Chicken, in addition to awards for innovation in the Seara Rotisserie and Seara Nature ranges.

Seara Nature ham sausage sandwich
Innovation
Seara uses a wide variety of efforts to foster development of innovation at the Company. One of its biggest challenges is the ability to forecast food consumption trends, through a close relationship with consumers and by making them feel connected, listened to and respected. To do this, the Company also invests in innovative management via an ongoing and wide-ranging digital transformation process.
One high point in 2019 was the Incredible Lab, a hub for innovation formed by Company researchers in partnership with scientists, universities and even consumers. The Incredible Lab was created with a focus on developing plant-based protein products for the Incredible Seara range, but its activities will be extended to innovations related to other lines.
The Incredible Lab’s biggest find was the i Biomolecule, which combines natural aromatic molecules with fermentation of existing natural ingredients to guarantee similarity to animal protein. The Incredible Seara range of products are 100% plant-based and are made with pea and soy base, but have the flavor and texture of meat.
Made using soybeans and beats, the Incredible Burger, in the Seara Gourmet Range, was launched in May 2019. It was the Company’s first plant-based product and its popularity was one of the reasons why Seara developed an entire range of plant-based products.
To guarantee this synchronicity with consumer needs and interests, opportunities to innovate at Seara are identified in a variety of ways: at national and international trade shows, through technical visits, research and in-house workshops, through partnerships with suppliers and more. Research prepared by a group of internationally respected institutes helps in understanding market trends and consumer behavior. Internally, the Perceived Quality project applies research to monitor the performance of Seara products compared to other options on the market.
The innovative project pipeline at Seara is managed on a monthly and quarterly basis. Investment in this area in 2019 totaled R$ 54 million, spread across process, brand and trade improvement actions. During the year, 187 products were launched in Brazil and around the world.
Projects are aimed at fulfilling global trends and needs related to the platforms of healthiness, indulgence and convenience. Performance in reaching these goals is measured using indicators that include perceived quality, percentage of margin, reduced variable cost and shorter project execution time.
The results of this system geared toward innovation was a variable cost reduced by R$ 74 million, with items tested for perceived quality performing equal to or above the competition 93% of the time, in addition to a 25% faster project development time when compared to 2018.
At Seara Academy, events make it possible to gain direct access to customer and consumer opinions, collaborating to enhance products.
The Q Lab, Seara’s data intelligence center, consolidates data from dozens of different sources, processing and delivering analytical studies with a consumer-focused vision, which helps in gaining more efficiency in marketing activities.
The Q Lab also contributes interpretation of consumer movements and trend analysis. The use of data intelligence and social listening allow the Company to take the pulse of discussions, taking stock of what people are saying on social media and seeing whether any opportunities can be seized in real time.