Unilever Nutrition - Marketing, diet and health

Unilever recognized malnutrition as a global problem facing their markets and their products. Although they have been taking steps to address this in particular products (for example being the first company to begin reducing trans-fats in their spreads in the 1990s) they decided to launch a global company-wide programme to embed this thinking across a wider portfolio of food products.

In 2004, Unilever launched a global Nutrition Enhancement Programme reviewing the entire worldwide food portfolio focusing on 3 specific goals:
* to seek improvements in the quality of nutrition in their brands
* to enhance nutrition labelling and increase consumer information
* to develop new products through innovation  

They analysed the composition of 4 key nutrients: trans fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar. The Unilever Food and Health Research Institute translated these dietary guidelines into benchmark levels for nutrients in Unilever products created using recommendations from international and national authorities.
Unilever’s leadership in nutrition is also key in developing countries. Nearly one-third of the world's children under five are malnourished, and malnutrition contributes to half of all childhood deaths. To try to help overcome nutrient deficiencies in developing countries, Unilever is also fortifying foods, such as enriching Annapurna salt with iodine in Africa and India.

Initiated from a global corporate level and involving global and local partners throughout has meant the programme has been a resounding success. Targets have been set, monitored and reported at the corporate level. It has been differentiated across markets and impact has also been measured at all levels.