Unilever Foodsolutions pledges four promises to the industry

The company says the result of its work brings its sustainability credentials into "sharp focus" and includes reformulations of recipes and repackaging of the range, which aims to deliver real benefit to chefs, caterers and wholesalers. Over the next two years the entire KNORR granules, powder mixes and pastes portfolio will be relaunched starting with gravies, soups and demi glace in September, closely followed by sauce mixes in early 2011. Claire Sullivan, marketing director, Unilever Foodsolutions explained more about the pledges: "We have listened to chefs and operators from all sectors and responded to what they have told us. We recognise the changing trends among chefs and their guests and we believe our Four Promises demonstrates our Passion for Taste and our commitment to a sustainable future. We believe we have the very best portfolio for today's market." Promise one - Better Taste Unilever Foodsolutions has invested 40,000 man-hours in its chef development centres. We used an independent agency to capture the opinion of 400 chefs from all channels. Respondents were interviewed about the taste, appearance, consistency and smell of KNORR recipes followed by blind taste tests against leading competitors which reported positive comments for the KNORR ingredients. Promise two – Better Ingredients The Unilever Foodsolutions culinary teams have reviewed over 4,000 ingredients to ensure the very best components for each recipe. The company has reduced salt to meet FSA 2012 salt reduction targets and replaced the salt with herbs and spices so the recipes taste even better. Wherever possible we have removed artificial colours, artificial preservatives MSG, and use natural ingredients. Vegetables and herbs are grown and ripened in the sun and hand picked at the height of the season to give the best natural flavour, then dried to preserve that flavour. Promise three – Better Planet Unilever is the only food company that has been at the top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for over 12 years. The company has strengthened its commitment to sustainable agriculture and has introduced its Growing for the Future programme. Unilever works closely with its farmers to ensure soil fertility is maintained and improved, water availability and quality are protected and enhanced and its farmer partners can secure a good deal and a better future. The company has repackaged the KNORR gravies, demi glace and sauces ranges to substantially reduce packaging and in turn CO2 emissions by up to 50%. Some of the tubs are reusable – a feature that chefs have expressed as a real plus point. Promise four – Better Efficiency KNORR products help in the kitchen by providing better operational efficiency. Improved pack sizes and packaging material deliver reductions in waste and easier recycling.Clearer labelling and comprehensive on-pack information make it easier for kitchen operators to select and make up the right product. Improved stability and stackable packaging also help to save space in the kitchen and reduce wastage through damage.