Unilever salt reduction commitment

Unilever global goal

Unilever has set the ambitious target to reduce salt across our entire food portfolio.

By reducing the amount of salt in the food we produce we can contribute to achieving a reduction in people's salt intake. We are making reductions of up to 25% across our portfolio, while maintaining excellent tasting products, to meet an interim target of 6 grams of salt per day. We will then continue our journey with another 15 to 20% in gradual reductions, aiming for World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations of 5 grams of salt per day. We envisage arriving at this target between 2015 and 2020 depending on the country.

In the period 2003 – 2008, Unilever has already removed almost 9 100 tonnes of salt from our products, without affecting taste or cost.

Thanks to our unique combination of skilled chefs and technical R&D expertise, coupled with our scale – we sell more than 30 000 product lines in over 100 countries – we are uniquely well placed to help raise awareness of the benefits of a healthy, lower salt diet. Every day, 320 million people – some five per cent of the world’s population – will eat a meal based on Unilever food products.

How is Unilever moving to reduce salt?

At Unilever we are reducing salt by changing recipes, using salt replacements, and enhancing flavours with other ingredients like herbs and spices. Everyone wants tasty food, and reducing salt doesn’t have to mean your food will be any less delicious.

Tests show that people only eat healthy food if it tastes good. We aim to make the healthy choice the tasty choice. With less salt, food often tastes even better, allowing more subtle, natural flavours emerge which can otherwise be masked.

In some recipes we are simply reducing salt. If this makes a marked (negative) impact on flavour we’ll be using other ingredients to maximise taste, so even though there’s less salt you will still enjoy the same flavour.

Why is Unilever lowering the salt in its products?

Millions of people around the world are eating too much salt. Up to three quarters (75%) of salt consumed is from manufactured food in the developed world. So with any efforts aimed at reducing salt intake, food manufacturers must be involved. Unilever is the first big food company to set worldwide goals for salt reduction across its entire portfolio.

Under the Unilever Nutrition Enhancement Programme, we have already removed almost 9 100 tonnes of salt from our products. Salt often plays a crucial role in taste preference, preservation and texture.

Thanks to our unique combination of skilled chefs and technical know-how, coupled with the truly global reach of Unilever, we are very well placed to help raise awareness of the benefits of a healthy, lower salt diet among our customers. Through our initiative we hope to encourage people to moderate their salt intake, and therefore be healthy for longer.

Why is salt added to foods?

Salt has historically been used in food processing not only for its taste-enhancing properties, but also for the important role it plays in preservation and structure. Adding salt prevents the growth of unwanted microbes. Historically, this has been an important technical tool to preserve meat and fish products, cheese, pickled vegetables, sauces and bakery products. Nowadays, more sophisticated food processing techniques mean salt is not always necessary for the preservation of many of these foods.

Salt has specific functions in the making of in different foods.

• Bakery products: salt has important effects on gluten development and regulation of fermentation which is needed for the baking process.

• Meat: salt enhances the water-binding capacity of proteins (Desmond, 2006).

• Cheese: salt influences the activity of micro-organisms and enzymes needed for maturation. Maintaining microbiological stability and structure are important aspects that need to be taken into account when trying to achieve salt reduction.