Flora (margarine)
Encyclopedia
Flora is a brand of margarine
, sold in the United Kingdom
, Ireland
, Finland
, Sweden
, Spain
, Poland
, Portugal
, South Africa
, Hong Kong
, Singapore
, New Zealand
and Australia
. It is produced by Unilever
and sold in other parts of the world under the brand name of Becel
. Unilever came up with the brand after being asked by medical professionals to come up with a healthier alternative to butter
, lard
and hard margarine
s.
s" including omega-3, omega-6 oils and vitamin B6
, B12
and folic acid
". The Flora "pro.activ" Cholesterol reducing product contains plant sterols which block (up to 40%) the absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream. Unilever also claim the margarine now contains very little trans-fat and no hydrogenated oils, both of which have been proven to have major health implications.
. 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
habitat in places such as Borneo
and Sumatra
. 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 procure all its palm oil from certified sustainable sources by 2015.
's marketing directors, "Louis Flora Catlow". She died on 24 June 2009.
Flora margarine now comes in several different products, namely: 'Flora Original', 'Flora Light', 'Flora Buttery Taste', 'Flora No Salt', 'Flora Lighter Than Light', 'Flora White' and 'Flora Omega-3 Plus'.
from 1996 to 2009. In 2010, the sponsorship was taken over by Virgin Money
.
Margarine
Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
, sold in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is produced by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
and sold in other parts of the world under the brand name of Becel
Becel
Becel is a brand of margarine produced by Unilever and sold in a number of countries, including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, and Turkey...
. Unilever came up with the brand after being asked by medical professionals to come up with a healthier alternative to butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
, lard
Lard
Lard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...
and hard margarine
Margarine
Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
s.
Claimed health benefits
Unilever market Flora as containing "a blend of healthy fatFat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
s" including omega-3, omega-6 oils and vitamin B6
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and is part of the vitamin B complex group. Several forms of the vitamin are known, but pyridoxal phosphate is the active form and is a cofactor in many reactions of amino acid metabolism, including transamination, deamination, and decarboxylation...
, B12
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, vitamin B12 or vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins...
and folic acid
Folic acid
Folic acid and folate , as well as pteroyl-L-glutamic acid, pteroyl-L-glutamate, and pteroylmonoglutamic acid are forms of the water-soluble vitamin B9...
". The Flora "pro.activ" Cholesterol reducing product contains plant sterols which block (up to 40%) the absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream. Unilever also claim the margarine now contains very little trans-fat and no hydrogenated oils, both of which have been proven to have major health implications.
Nutritional information
Flora Light: Typical Values Per 100g: Energy 1459KJ/354kcal.Protein 0.1g. Carbohydrate 2.8g,-of which sugars trace. Fat 38.0g; of which saturates 9.3g, monounsaturates 9.3g, polyunsaturates 19.0g.Environmental consequences
Flora contents includes palm oilPalm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
. 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
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
habitat in places such as Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. 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 procure all its palm oil from certified sustainable sources by 2015.
Original formulation
Flora was invented 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.Origins of the name "Flora"
Flora was originally named after the wife of one of UnileverUnilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
's marketing directors, "Louis Flora Catlow". She died on 24 June 2009.
Flora margarine now comes in several different products, namely: 'Flora Original', 'Flora Light', 'Flora Buttery Taste', 'Flora No Salt', 'Flora Lighter Than Light', 'Flora White' and 'Flora Omega-3 Plus'.
London Marathon
Flora were the primary sponsors of the London MarathonLondon Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
from 1996 to 2009. In 2010, the sponsorship was taken over by Virgin Money
Virgin Money
Virgin Money is a UK-based financial services company owned by the Virgin Group and founded by Sir Richard Branson in March 1995. It was originally known as Virgin Direct, and pioneered index tracking by launching a value Personal Equity Plan into the market. In the 2000s Virgin Money expanded its...
.