Description
Consumer understanding is at the heart of our innovation and renovation agenda to be able to deliver food and beverage products that are appealing and tasty to our consumers, and with a better nutritional quality. This goes hand-in-hand with continuous investment in new technologies, together with 3rd parties, that allow us to develop these products, now and in the future.
Unilever's nutritional commitments are embedded in the innovation and reformulation roadmaps of our brands, where specific guardrails are set for our product categories, with clear governance.
We drive up the nutritional density of our products by including more ingredients and nutrients we should eat more of. This can be achieved by using high quality ingredients delivering more nutrition or via fortification. We count products as delivering more positive nutrition when ingredients, macronutrients or micronutrients meeting at least one of the threshold values is considered to deliver Positive Nutrition. The threshold values will be published on Unilever.com and are based on dietary guidance (e.g. WHO recommendation to eat at least 400g/day for fruit and vegetables) or existing regulations (e.g., protein, fibre and micronutrient content to make a 'source of' claim). The selected ingredients are fruits, vegetables, legumes and fungi, wholegrains, nuts, and seeds. Macronutrients include unsaturated fatty acids, protein and fiber. And micronutrients include 5 critical that are at risk of deficiency: iron, iodine, zinc, Vit A and Vit D, and micronutrients that are associated with plant-based diets: Vit B2, folate, B12, C, E, Ca, Mg, K
Overarching commitment (for commitments submitted pre-2025)
Title
More products with positive nutrition
Description
We envision a regenerative and equitable food system producing healthy, safe and nutritious food for all. We want to contribute positively to the transformation of the food system through innovation and reformulation by continuously providing food products with higher nutritional values. In this commitment we focus on food products that contain ingredients, micronutrients and macronutrients that we should eat more. These are vital to growth and development and can help to maintain health. The lack of essential nutrients can cause nutritional deficiencies and subsequent risk of disease. The preservation of the inherent nutrients in foods is critical to maintaining a nutrient-rich food supply from production through to consumption. Seed quality, farming practices, processing technologies, and consumer eating patterns can be optimized to support the inherent nutritional quality of foods. Beyond nutrient preservation, micronutrient fortification - fortifying widely and regularly consumed foods with vitamins and minerals - has been demonstrated to be a cost-effective way to alleviate the public health burden of micronutrient deficiencies. Fortifying foods with macronutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, is also key to improving public health outcomes globally. Our commitment targets ingredients, and both macro- and micro-nutrients.
This commitment is aligned with the Responsible Business Pledge, commitment area Product (Re)formulation and Innovation for Improved Nutrition.
GNR assessment
| Verification status |
Verified
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| SMARTness index |
High
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Details
| Nutrition Action Classification(s) |
Policy >
Food supply chain
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Measurement
| Key indicator | Percent of Unilever's Food and Refreshment product sales, by volume, that meet Unilever's Standards for Positive Nutrition |
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| Value | Measurement date | |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 27% | 2019 |
| Target | 54% | September 2025 |
Progress
| Value | Measurement date | |
|---|---|---|
| Progress report | 52% | September 2023 |
