Unilever Food Solutions Encourages Chefs to Create Healthy, Sustainable Meals Through Sponsorship of Menus of Change Conference

Seductive Nutrition Program Illustrates Unilever’s Industry Leadership, Inspires Chefs Nationwide to Remove Nearly 3.2 Billion Calories from Menus To-Date

Unilever Food Solutions, the food service division of Unilever, is furthering the goal of its Seductive Nutrition initiative by sponsoring the 2nd Annual Menus of Change® leadership summit. The initiative asks chefs to pledge to make small changes to popular menu items that reduce calories, but still preserve the flavors and dining experience. Unilever Food Solutions also announced that for each new chef pledge through the end of 2014, it will help provide 18 meals* to Feeding America®.

To date, foodservice professionals across 8,500 locations in North America have taken the Seductive Nutrition pledge, resulting in nearly 3.2 billion calories being removed from menus. Unilever strives to help American chefs remove 10 billion calories by the end of 2015.

“To understand what we should be putting on our plates today, we need to look ahead five, 10 and 20 years, in terms of health and sustainability,” said Jonathan Atwood, vice president of sustainable living and corporate communications, Unilever North America. “We are encouraged by the healthy changes we’ve seen on restaurant menus and in meals at home. The food service industry has an important role to play in expanding healthy, affordable and sustainable meal offerings and we believe that through collaboration we can drive meaningful change. We’re here today to further the movement and motivate chefs to take the Seductive Nutrition pledge.”

Menus of Change, co-presented by The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition, brings together industry leaders to share insights and solutions for healthy, sustainable and delicious food choices. At the event, Atwood and colleagues discussed progress toward the Seductive Nutrition pledge goal, along with the company’s initiatives on sustainability.

“Small changes can have a big, long-term impact on health,” said Kim Morgan, vice president of channel marketing, Unilever Food Solutions. “Seductive Nutrition gives chefs the power to take action now, removing calories from their menus and helping provide meals to American families who need them. There are many ways to make dishes delicious and reduce calories with simple changes, such as using healthier cooking methods, fresh ingredients, more vegetables, leaner proteins and lighter ingredients, as well as serving right-size portions.”

Unilever Food Solutions is calling on chefs and foodservice operators to join the movement to help improve the health and well-being of diners across the country. To take the Seductive Nutrition pledge, chefs should visit www.ufs.com/TakeThePledge.

Beyond the Seductive Nutrition pledge, Unilever is spearheading efforts to influence sustainability on a global scale as part of its Sustainable Living Plan, launched in 2010 and serving as the company’s blueprint for sustainable growth. By 2020, Unilever aims to double the size of its business while reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact.

As part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, the company is focused on ensuring that high-quality ingredients are sourced responsibly and in a sustainable way. By 2020, Unilever’s ambition is to sustainably source 100 percent of its raw agricultural materials, building on its history as the first major tea company to commit to sustainable sourcing on a large scale. As of April 2014, 48 percent of Unilever’s raw agricultural materials are from sustainable sources, up from 14 percent in 2010. By 2015, 100 percent of Lipton® teas will be Rainforest Alliance Certified. The company has also set up 25 Knorr® landmark farms to demonstrate best-practice sustainable farming.

For more information about the Unilever Food Solutions’ commitment to sustainable living, visit www.unileverfoodsolutions.us/sustainable-living.

*Feeding America is leading the fight against hunger nationwide. Unilever Food Solutions is donating the monetary equivalent of a minimum of 27,000 meals ($3,000) to Feeding America up to a maximum of 63,000 meals ($7,000) based on pledges taken from February 1, 2014-December 31,2014. $1=9 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks.

About Unilever Food Solutions

Unilever Food Solutions is the food service division of Unilever.

Our ingredients are some of the staples of professional kitchens in 74 countries around the world: Knorr, Hellman's, Lipton and more. We provide products that save precious prep time in the kitchen, without compromising on flavor or flair.

Unilever Food Solutions is committed to sustainable growth while making a positive impact on the food service industry. That means creating healthy, nutritious ingredients using sustainably sourced packaging that generates less waste. It also means providing services that help chefs and operators run more sustainable kitchens with healthier menu options for diners.

Media:GolinHarrisMatt Baldwin, 312-729-4419mbaldwin@golinharris.comorUnileverJaime Stein, 201-894-7760MediaRelations.USA@unilever.com

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