Unilever’s Nutrition Standards (PDF 1.01 MB) (Opens in a pop-up window )
Our booklet explains the detail of Unilever’s Science-based Nutrition Criteria and Positive Nutrition Standards.
Improving our offering for healthier diets
Average read time: 3 minutes
We continue to improve the nutritional quality of our products to support the shift to better diets.
We believe in a food system that helps consumers to choose healthier and more sustainable diets – eating patterns that are good for people and for the planet. Our biggest global brands – such as Knorr, Hellmann’s and Wall’s – offer holistically superior products that aim to satisfy consumers’ preferences on taste, health and ingredients, as well as sustainability. Many of our products have nutritious ingredients that can help provide micronutrients, protein, fibre or essential fatty acids that people need as part of a balanced diet. Read more about our nutrition philosophy and approach (Opens in a pop-up window ).
We’re continuously innovating to improve nutritional quality across our brands, maximising positive nutrients and reducing nutrients to limit. For decades, we’ve been investing in improving the nutritional quality of our products through innovation and reformulation, as well as portfolio adjustments. We drive this work through our internal guidelines and strategy, regularly reviewing and improving our approach. Over time, we’ve learned to focus on products that are consumed frequently and in high volumes in order to have the greatest impact on consumers’ diets – all the while ensuring we keep the same great taste.
Our goals
85% of our portfolio to meet Unilever’s Science-based Nutrition Criteria by 2028
84%Our progress in 2024
Double the number of products sold that deliver positive nutrition by 2025
52%Our progress in 2024
95% of packaged ice cream to contain no more than 22 grams of total sugar per serving by 2025
91%Our progress in 2024
95% of packaged ice cream to contain no more than 250 calories per serving by 2025
96%Our progress in 2024
80% of our global beverage[a] portfolio to contain a maximum of 5 grams of total sugar per 100ml by 2025
76%Our progress in 2024
[a] Includes all sweetened tea and herbal based beverages.
Unilever’s Science-based Nutrition Criteria (USNC) (PDF 668.82 KB) (Opens in a pop-up window ) are our standards for nutrients to limit that guide the nutritional quality of our products to healthier options. They consist of product-specific criteria with thresholds for calories, salt, sugar and saturated fat. We modelled these criteria (Opens in a pop-up window ) against dietary surveys in five markets (Brazil, China, France, the UK and the US). The results show that our standards have the potential to create positive public health impacts in all these countries.
To increase the amount of positive ingredients and nutrients in our products, we’ve created our Positive Nutrition Standards (PNS) (PDF 506.51 KB) (Opens in a pop-up window ). These are the ingredients and nutrients that people are encouraged to consume more of. Our research shows (Opens in a pop-up window ) that these standards can help consumers increase their intake of positive nutrients and ingredients. Micronutrient fortification is part of this to address nutritional needs in a cost-effective way. Micronutrient deficiencies vary across the world, so we’re careful to fortify the right products in the right markets for the consumers who need them. We exceeded our goal to provide more than 200 billion servings with at least one of the five key micronutrients – vitamin A, vitamin D, iodine, iron and zinc – by 2022, ultimately delivering 236 billion servings.
Here are some examples of products we’ve delivered in 2024:
Knorr Pasta Cups
Knorr Pasta Cups were launched in North America and meet the PNS. They contain at least eight grams of protein and half a cup of vegetables and provide more than 10% of the Daily Value of fibre, 10–15% Daily Value of potassium and 15% Daily Value of iron per serving.
Hellmann’s 5-in-1 Mayonnaise & Seasoning Mix
Hellmann’s launched the 5-in-1 Mayonnaise & Seasoning Mix in India, which meets both the USNC and PNS. Hellmann’s mayonnaise is a source of good fats and is made with soybean oil fortified with essential vitamins A and D. It comes with four different seasonings to make flavoured mayonnaise, such as smoky tandoori, zesty mint, spicy chipotle and garlic & herbs.
Knorr Chicken Bouillon Powder
Knorr’s Chicken Bouillon Powder has been reformulated in Mexico and meets the USNC.
Hellmann’s Tartar Sauce
Hellmann’s Tartar Sauce, which already met the USNC, has been reformulated in the Czech Republic using innovative technology. It now contains less fat and fewer calories, with a reduction of over 30% in fat per portion with the same creamy texture.
Knorr Zero-Sodium Vegetable Bouillon
Knorr launched a Zero-Sodium Vegetable Bouillon cube in Argentina that meet the USNC. This has also received an endorsement from the Argentinean Cardiology Foundation.
Horlicks Diabetes Plus (Chocolate)
Horlicks Diabetes Plus (Chocolate) was introduced in India and meets both the USNC and PNS. It is a nutritional beverage for diabetics and at-risk individuals who have just begun their diabetes journey. This nutritional supplement contains no added sugar and has a low glycaemic index. It contains 16 vital nutrients and is also high in protein (20%) and prebiotic fibres (22%).
Knorr Iron-Fortified Chicken Cube Stock
Knorr has fortified its chicken cube stocks with iron in Pakistan to address widespread iron deficiency. It is the only fortified chicken soup stock on the market and provides 15% of the daily iron requirement. It helped deliver over 50 million servings of iron in 2024.
Kissan Fruit Fables
Kissan Fruit Fables is a 100% fruit-based spread range launched in India and meets the PNS. The range includes three variants: Blueberry & The Beast, Little Red Strawberry and Apricot in Wonderland. All are made from more than a kilogram of fruits per jar, featuring strawberries and mulberries from Mahabaleshwar, apricots from Greece and blueberries from Canada.
Telma Oats & More
The Telma Oats & More oatmeal porridge range was launched in Israel and meets the USNC. This plant-based range is made with more than 70% whole oats and up to 9% chia seeds. It is available in three varieties: Chia, Apple and Cinnamon; Cranberry and Chia; and Dark Chocolate and Chia. The porridge can be prepared quickly with boiling water in just two minutes, or heated in the microwave.
Knorr Chicken Matsutake Seasoning
Knorr has launched the Chicken Matsutake Seasoning in China, which is made with wild matsutake mushrooms from Yunnan. It meets the USNC and has 10% less salt than regular chicken seasoning.
Lipton Zero Sugar
Lipton introduced more reduced and zero-sugar variants across multiple markets, including Lipton Black Iced Tea Lemon Zero in the Philippines.
ALGIDA Keyif
Three ALGIDA Keyif flavours in Turkey – namely Vanilla, Chocolate Vanilla and Pistachio Vanilla – have been fortified with vitamin D and calcium, and now meet both the USNC and PNS.
Magnum
Magnum core products in Europe – including Classic, White Chocolate, Almond and White Chocolate Strawberry – have been reformulated to meet Unilever’s calorie and sugar thresholds, with less than 22 grams of total sugar and fewer than 250 calories per serving.
Yasso
Newly acquired frozen Greek yoghurt brand Yasso launched several innovations in 2024 in the US, including Strawberries & Cream, which meets the USNC. At 80 calories per stick, it provides four grams of protein and is made with real fruit.
Guuud
Wall’s Guuud Greek Style Yoghurt Ice Cream range in the UK has been reformulated and is now categorised as not high in fat, sugar and salt (non-HFSS). Each stick contains 68 calories and is available in three variants: salted caramel, raspberry and passion fruit.
Read more about how we help people enjoy treats responsibly.
Portion sizes
Healthier diets are not just about what we eat, but also how much we eat. Portions have tended to increase in size over many years – a global phenomenon that has led to ‘portion distortion’ or the normalising of unnecessarily larger portions. In addition to improving our products, we also help people understand what an appropriate portion size looks like, enabling them to make informed choices.
We ensure that our marketing and point-of-sale communications encourage appropriate portion sizes. We aim to demonstrate what a reasonable serving looks like as part of a healthy diet, considering the setting and intended consumer.
We provide different serving size options to cater to different needs. For example, we offer mini ice creams so that people can enjoy a treat while managing their sugar consumption and energy intake. Demand for our smaller-sized products is increasing – Magnum Minis are one of the fastest-growing segments (Opens in a pop-up window ) within our Ice Cream business group.
We provide key information on pack, adhere to regulations in line with our nutrition labelling position (PDF 91.85 KB) (Opens in a pop-up window ) and comply with local labelling requirements. This ensures consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions.