Unilever is adding more plant-based options to its portfolio
Due to the fact that people’s eating habits are changing, Unilever wants to increase its portfolio of plant-based products, especially for people who want to eat less meat or no animal-based products at all. Their recent acquisition, ‘The Vegetarian Butcher’, Burger King’s ‘Rebel Whopper’ supplier, will help to expand their portfolio.
“We were pleased that in 2019, FAIRR ranked Unilever the best-scoring company among food manufacturers and retailers for moving towards sustainable protein. We also won several awards for our plant-based innovations, such as PETA’s Best Vegan Mayo 2019 Award for Hellmann’s Vegan Mayonnaise, and Healthy Living awards for ‘best vegan product’ and ‘best meat replacement’ for Knorr Vegan Mealmakers” the company announced.
Their foodservice business, Unilever Food Solutions (UFS), also offers plant-based products to respond to consumer demand. Knorr Professional, for example, is their range of 100% natural, complete and balanced mixes of rehydratable grains and vegetables to easily create exciting and nutritious plant-based dishes. UFS helps chefs around the world to offer more plant-based options in their menus by providing recipe inspiration, workshops and training.
A few years ago, the company took into consideration Ben & Jerry’s fans asking for non-dairy versions of their favourite ice creams. Now, Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy range includes 11 flavours in North America and Europe. They even introduced Cornetto mini vegan and gluten-free ice creams, and their award-winning Magnum Vegan ice cream are now widely available across the globe. The ice creams were rolled out globally in 2019, and are certified as suitable for vegans by the European Vegetarian Union and Vegan Action.
Magnum Vegan Almond received the 2019 ‘Best Vegan Product’ award from the Dutch Vegan Society, and ‘Best Vegan Ice Cream’ from PETA in the UK. And in a blind tasting test by two experienced chefs, it placed first out of 26 newcomer (and mostly dairy) ice creams
“We’re pleased that we’ve been able to create products that hold true to Magnum’s chocolatey, creamy experience without using any dairy, and believe our vegan, dairy-free Magnums will have a wide appeal,” explains Julie Merrick, Global R&D Director, Magnum.
