Becel, Flora

Heart-healthy choice

For more than 40 years Unilever has played a leading role in helping consumers maintain healthy hearts.

Recognising Unilever as a world leader in nutritional research, the medical profession asked the company to create a healthy alternative to butter, lard and hard margarines.

Lowering cholesterol

This led to us developing a blood cholesterol-lowering spread that was high in polyunsaturated fat and low in saturated fat. In the UK the Flora business is the main sponsor of the Flora London Marathon.

Proven health benefits

Its success has led to brand extensions into a milk drink, yoghurts and 'one-a-day' yoghurt drinks, which also have proven health benefits.

Did you know

about 17 million people die of cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart attacks and strokes every year*
high cholesterol causes a third of all cardiovascular disease worldwide*
by 2020, heart disease and strokes will become the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with the number of fatalities likely to reach more than 20 million a year - and by 2030 the figure will rise to more than 24 million a year*
on average, a 10% lowering of cholesterol will reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by up to 20%
around half of the world's population has blood cholesterol levels that are too high
nearly a third (30%) of people acrosss the world have raised blood pressure levels

Innovations

In 1999 we launched spreads with plant sterols – marketed as Flora pro·activ. These spreads have been clinically proven to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the body and are endorsed by key scientists and health professionals around the world.

The science

Consuming Becel/Flora pro·activ spread, milk drink or yoghurt can provide around 2g of plant sterols per day. Clinical studies show that, for those who follow a healthy diet, this level of plant sterols can reduce LDL – bad - cholesterol by about 10-15% within a few weeks.

Key facts

Unilever is the world's leading manufacturer of margarine
an estimated 13 million households currently benefit from Becel/Flora pro·activ products
Becel / Flora pro·activ has been approved by regulators in more than 20 countries
Becel / Flora pro·activ has been endorsed by key scientists and health care professionals worldwide
a programme of scientific research has established that the phytosterol esters used in Becel / Flora pro·activ – which help lower cholesterol – are both safe and effective
Becel / Flora pro·activ is the world’s best-selling cholesterol-lowering food brand
sales of pro·activ have grown by over 25% in each of the last three years
Becel/Flora signed a partnership with the World Heart Federation in 2003 to promote heart health awareness