Sustainable sourcing with one of the world’s largest food companies - Unilever

I’m proud to announce that I was chosen to be one of Unilever’s “Agents of Change”, which is a partnership that celebrates dietitians who, like Unilever, are making strides to create a healthier and more sustainable food supply.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to join several fellow Registered Dietitians in a rich immersion trip at The Culinary Institutes of America in Hyde Park, New York.  During this immersion, I was able to meet with the Senior Nutrition Manager of North America and the Sustainability Brand Manager to discuss the current initiatives that Unilever is working towards.  I was delighted to learn that all of the tea in its Lipton products and the Madagascar vanilla in Breyers ice cream are Rainforest Alliance Certified™.   In fact, Unilever has helped the Rainforest Alliance certify over 500,000 smallholder farmers, set up 1685 Farmer Field Schools and trained over 450,000 farmers in better growing practices.  This means that the farms used to produce these products are held to vigorous environmental, social and economic standards. More on that here.  In fact, the international non-profit OXFAM has rated Unilever #1 out of the top 10 global brands in their ‘Behind the Brands Scorecard’.

One of the most exciting parts of the trip was when we were challenged to a cooking contest (top chef style) with our peers.  We had the guidance of some of the Culinary Institute of America’s finest chefs to help us create delicious and nutritious meals, utilizing sustainably sourced ingredients.  It surprised me to learn that Unilever has especially strong business ethics, and I'm thrilled to be working with one of the largest food companies in the world to help promote these strong values!

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored in part by Unilever.