The healthy choice
The new campaign reveals that Flora is made with plants, lower in saturated fat than butter, and contains no artificial flavours or preservatives. The centrepiece of the campaign is a new product – Flora Freedom – which is suitable for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy, and contains no preservatives, artificial colours or flavours.
Showcasing the benefits of a plant-based diet makes it easier for consumers to make daily healthy choices for themselves and their families. As Marketing Manager James Brennan says: “Celebrating the plant-based ingredients in Flora and the resulting health benefits takes the brand back to its heartland of being a healthy alternative to butter. Flora Freedom ensures that those who have an intolerance or allergy, or who simply want to choose free-from products, can enjoy a great-tasting spread.”
Flora Buttery is 70% lower in saturated fat than butter. Flora Original and Flora Light are 80% lower. The oils used in Flora are part of Unilever’s sustainable sourcing strategy with the linseed in Flora already 100% sustainably sourced. Rapeseed will be by the end of this year and sunflower by 2020.
Increasing demand
Research conducted by YouGov shows that 12% of UK households have a suspected dairy allergy or intolerance but only 1% of the spreads market is dairy-free. What’s more, another piece of research commissioned by the Grocer magazine suggests an increasing desire for free-from products. It found that 35% of shoppers buy ‘free-from’ for their general health, rather than specific ailments or intolerances. For almost 30%, it’s simply a lifestyle choice.
Plant-based foods are good for the planet too
There is strong scientific evidence to suggest that plant-based foods are better for the planet and consistent evidence that spreads made with vegetable oils are better for the environment compared to butter. Animal farming causes more greenhouse gas emissions than the production of spreads and the production of the same amount of plant-based spreads uses less land than butter.
References
- H. C. Godfray, J. R. Beddington, I. R. Crute, L. Haddad, D. Lawrence, J. F. Muir, J. Pretty, S. Robinson, S. M. Thomas and C. Toulmin, “Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people”, Science, vol. 327, no. 5967, pp. 812-818, 2010.
- T. Meier, O. Christen, E. Semler, G. Jahreis, L. Voget-Kleschin, A. Schrode and M. Artmann, “Balancing virtual land imports by a shift in the diet. Using a land balance approach to assess the sustainability of food consumption. Germany as an example”, Appetite, vol. 74, pp. 20-34, 2014.
- B. Girod and P. De Haan, “More or better? A model for changes in household greenhouse gas emissions due to higher income”, Journal of industrial ecology, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 31-49, 2010.
- F. Vieux, N. Darmon, D. Touazi and L. G. Soler, “Greenhouse gas emissions of self-selected individual diets in France: Changing the diet structure or consuming less?”, Ecological Economics, vol. 75, pp. 91-101, 2012.