unilever ( Unilever）“ future food” plan emerges, jianfeng points directly to the annual sales target of us$1.2 billion plant-based food

original: https://vegnews.com/2020/11/unilever-sets-1-2-billion-annual-target-for-plant-based-sales

note: the translation is for reference.

UNILEVER SETS $1.2 BILLION ANNUAL TARGET FOR PLANT-BASED SALES

unilever sets annual sales target of plant-based foods for $1.2 billion

Currently, the conglomerate has several vegan products under its belt, including Ben & Jerry’s plant-based ice cream line, Magnum’s non-dairy ice cream line, and vegan meats under The Vegetarian Butcher brand.

currently, this large conglomerate has launched a number of vegan products, including Ben & Jerry’s plant-based ice cream series, menglong ( Magnum） the dairy-free ice cream series and the zizhuo meat maker ( The Vegetarian Butcher） brand of various vegan meat products.

by ANNA STAROSTINETSKAYA

author: ANNA STAROSTINETSKAYA

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

2020november 19, 2019

This week, multinational conglomerate Unilever announced its goal to increase sales of its plant-based meat and dairy products to €1 billion ($1.2 billion) by 2027, representing a five-fold increase of its current sales in the category. The target is part of its “Future Foods” initiative which aims to provide consumers with more eco-friendly and healthy choices. As part of the effort, Unilever also pledged to halve its food waste by 2025.

unilever ( Unilever） it announced its ambitious development goals this week, aiming to increase annual sales of its plant-based meat and milk products to 1 billion euros (us$1.2 billion) by 2027, which is equivalent to a five-fold surge in its current plant-based food sales. this goal belongs to unilever "food food" (" Future Foods"） part of the program; the program is designed to provide consumers with more environmentally friendly and healthy eating options. in addition, unilever has pledged to cut its food waste by half by 2025.

“As one of the world’s largest food companies, we have a critical role to play in helping to transform the global food system,” Hanneke Faber, president of Unilever’s foods and refreshment department, said. “It’s not up to us to decide for people what they want to eat, but it is up to us to make healthier and plant-based options accessible to all. These are bold, stretching targets which demonstrate our commitment to being a force for good.”

“as one of the world's largest food companies, we want to play a key role in helping reform the global food system," said hannicor faber, president of unilever food refreshment business ( Hanneke Faber） said. “although it’s not up to us to decide what people want to eat, it’s our responsibility to promote healthier plant-based foods to all. these challenging and bold goals demonstrate our determination to be the power of goodness ( force for good）。”

Unilever’s sales target will result in the introduction of new products under its The Vegetarian Butcher brand—a Dutch brand it acquired in 2018 which is now distributed across 30 countries. Unilever also expects the expansion of plant-based options under its other brands—such as Ben & Jerry’s, Hellmann’s, and Magnum—to help meet its $1.2 billion sales target. Last year, Unilever invested $94 million to build The Hive in the Netherlands, a food innovation center that works with academic researchers, startups, and other partners to develop new products, including plant-based meat and sustainable food packaging.

unilever sets sales targets to promote its launch of new products from the zhizhuo meat scrambler brand ──unilever acquired the dutch brand company in 2018 and the vegetarian products it produces are now sold in 30 countries. unilever also intends to expand the range of plant-based foods for other brands of the group ──such as Ben & Jerry’s、 good lego ( Hellmann's） and menglong ( Magnum） brand ──to accelerate its annual sales target of $1.2 billion. unilever invested $94 million in the netherlands last year to build a food innovation center. The Hive”（“ , hive”), aims to work closely with academic researchers, startups and other partners to develop a variety of new products, including plant meat and sustainable food packaging.

After Unilever announced its intent to accelerate its plant-based sales, analytics company GlobalData called upon other major companies to follow Unilever’s steps to seize the growing opportunity, particularly in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic when consumer attitudes and purchasing habits have greatly shifted away from animal products.

after unilever announced plans to accelerate its plant-based food sales, COVID-19（2019 the coronavirus disease epidemic continues to spread, and consumer attitudes and purchasing habits have been far away from animal products, so global data ( GlobalData） analytical companies call on other major companies to seize development opportunities and actively follow unilever's approach.

“Vegan and plant-based alternatives were a source of growth and innovation prior to the pandemic, both in retail and foodservice, and interest really seems to have increased during COVID-19,” Ryan Whittaker, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, said. “In many ways, Unilever could be said to be leading the way in how business is going to have to become greener, less wasteful, and ultimately more sustainable. Other companies should take note; their plans for the future should consider the use of plant-based alternatives to help redesign the global food system. They don’t need to tell consumers what to eat, but by making greener products easier to access, they enable consumers to freely make that choice.”

“early COVID-19 disease pandemic ( pandemic） before, vegan and plant-based alternatives were already the source of growth and innovation in retail and catering services. later, when the epidemic continued to rage, consumers' interest in these products seemed to have really increased," said ryan whitaker, a consumer analyst at global data corporation. Ryan Whittaker） express. “to enable business operations to be more environmentally friendly, reduce waste and ultimately more sustainable, unilever can be said to have taken the lead in many ways. other companies should pay attention to this; their future plans should also consider using plant-based alternatives to help reshape the global food system. companies do not need to tell consumers what to eat, but by creating more accessible and environmentally friendly products, consumers can make their choices freely.”