Flora is a brand of
spread produced by
Upfield except in southern Africa where it is produced by Siqalo Foods, a subsidiary of
Remgro). The original manufacturer
Unilever
Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...
came up with the brand after being asked by medical professionals to develop a healthier alternative to traditional
margarine
Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...
s,
lard
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.[Lard]
entry in the o ...
and
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...
.
History
Flora was developed by a Lever Bros scientific development team headed by Terence O'Neill. It was originally a partially hydrogenated sunflower oil-based spread, different from the current preparation.
The company now markets the product as a fully plant-based vegan product.
Environmental consequences
Flora contents includes
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...
. The global demand for palm oil is blamed for the loss of tropical hardwood forests which are being cleared for palm oil plantations. This clearance leads to the destruction of
orangutan
Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
habitat in places such as
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
and
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
. Some food manufacturers have attempted to source sustainable sources of palm oil but these are too few in number and account for about 1% of production.
Flora has stated on its website that they are concerned about the environmental consequence of its use of palm oil and has vowed to continue procuring all its palm oil from certified sustainable sources.
Sponsorships
Flora were the primary sponsors of the
London Marathon from 1996 to 2009. In 2010, the sponsorship was taken over by
Virgin Money
Virgin Money is a financial services brand used by two independent brand-licensees worldwide from the Virgin Group. Virgin Money branded services are currently available in Australia and the United Kingdom. The brand formerly operated in South Af ...
.
See also
*
List of spreads
References
External links
*
{{Upfield
Spreads (food)
Former Unilever brands
Upfield (company) brands