“Focus pays off. That’s my No.1 insight from the ten-year USLP nutrition journey,” remarks Carla Hilhorst, Executive Vice President of Unilever Foods and Refreshment R&D, announcing that Unilever has not just met but has even exceeded the ambitious targets it set for its food portfolio in 2010.
In just ten years the business has not only doubled the proportion of foods hitting the globally recognized guidelines for the Highest Nutritional Standards (HNS) to limit sugar, salt, fat and calorie levels in our products, growing from 30% compliance in 2010 to 61% in 2020, but has done so without compromising on taste or texture.
“It is a massive achievement that has a real impact on public health and people’s lives,” Carla says, adding that although achieving this goal has often felt like climbing an immense mountain, she is proud that HNS is such a fundamental part of the company’s DNA.
“I have seen the ownership of HNS growing in the business over the years as well as the confidence that we have the tools to develop great-tasting winning products within those standards. With every step we take, we make the world a little better and many little steps make a big difference in the end,” she says.