At a global level, we are eating, growing and producing too much meat, not enough vegetables and not enough variety. This is not good for the health of people or the planet. Many of the foods we eat are resource intensive, meaning they take more water and land to grow and produce than other foods, which can damage the environment.
To help address this, we’re developing and launching more plant-based products and our brands are helping people to eat plant-based more often, offering shoppers healthier and more sustainable alternatives to meat proteins and expanding our range of dairy free and vegan options.
As part of our Global Future Foods ambition and objective to help reduce the environmental impact of our global food chain, we are committed to an annual $1 billion sales target from plant-based meat and dairy alternatives within five to seven years.
Here are some of the ways we’re bringing the plant-based revolution to shoppers in the UK.
Bringing plant-based options to our favourite brands
We’ve added vegan ranges to some of our most-loved brands, including Ben and Jerry’s Non-Dairy, Hellmann’s Vegan Mayo, Vegan Cornetto and Magnum Vegan Classic, Almond and the new Magnum Vegan Sea Salt Caramel.
Knorr’s mission to inspire shoppers to ‘Cheat On Meat’
Knorr is on a mission to inspire the nation to ‘Cheat on Meat’, sharing a range of meat-free recipes using Knorr stock cubes that are delicious, don’t compromise on flavour and will add variety into meal time. And by 2025, 50% of Knorr’s portfolio will be plant based and 25% will contain the Future 50 Foods - foods that are good for us and the planet.
Putting vegetables at the centre of dishes
Our foodservice business, Unilever Food Solutions, are supporting the catering industry to respond to the growing demand for plant-based options by putting vegetables at the centre of their dishes with plant-based recipe inspiration, quick swaps and tips on running a flexitarian kitchen. Knorr Professional, for example, is our range of 100% natural, complete and balanced mixes of rehydratable grains and vegetables, helping chefs to create exciting and nutritious plant-based meals.
Boosting plant-based alternatives with The Vegetarian Butcher
The Vegetarian Butcher products have been created with the ambition of making the switch to plant-based food as easy and tasty as possible, replicating the moreish taste and texture you get from meat, whilst being better for the planet and kinder to animals. The Vegetarian Butcher is also the supplier of Burger King’s Plant-Based Whopper across Europe, helping to boost plant-based alternatives out of the home too.