Health & vitality at the core of Unilever Foods
In fact, for the past seven years Unilever has topped the food and beverage sector of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes, which assess our work on nutrition and health.
Due to an administrative error, Unilever was not able to provide the Ethical Investment Research Service with information on its initiatives aimed at tackling consumer health and nutrition – and the rating it received in the report is not representative of the company's level of activity in this area.
Unilever has been proactive in developing and implementing the Nutrition Enhancement Programme. Reformulation activities planned this year will eliminate 15 000 tonnes of trans fats from our portfolio, 10 000 tonnes of saturated fats, 2 000 tonnes of sodium and 10 000 tonnes of sugars.
The company has also taken steps to widen choice for consumers. For example, in Spreads, Flora is available in three variants which offer three levels of fat. These are Flora Original (59% fat), Flora Light (39% fat) and Flora Diet (21% fat). And in mayonnaise consumers now have a choice of Hellmann’s Original (80% fat), Hellmann's Light (40% fat) and Hellmann's Extra Light (7% fat).
Unilever also aims to provide clear nutritional information for consumers. It is currently developing a front-of-pack logo – which will make the healthy choice the easy choice – and gives back-of-pack information on key nutrients and energy values.
Clear and strict principles have been set on advertising, with strong emphasis on advertising restrictions to children.
Importantly, the company is in discussions and partnerships with organisations such as the World Heart Federation to find ways of tackling global health and nutritional issues such as obesity and heart disease. All in all, these activities show that consumer health and vitality is at the core of Unilever Foods.
