Production stoppage leaves bitter taste for Unilever

By staff reporter

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Taste

A breakdown in the processing method of Unilever's Flora Original
Spread brand in the UK has led the company to recall some of the
product throughout the country.

Recalls of foods can be expensive for food companies and importers. They can also damage a brand's reputation in the market.

Unilever UK said it had recalled selected packs of the product due to the presence of an undesirable flavour in the product. The Food Standards Agency has issued a food alert about the product.

The recall relates to the 1kg packaged sizes of the product. The company describes the flavour as burnt or metallic and of variable intensity.

"Our investigations have determined that over-heating of the product during a production stoppage has resulted in this flavour defect,"​ Unilever stated in a press release. "The flavour can, at its most extreme, be highly unpleasant and is certainly not up to the high quality standard you should expect from Flora products."

In 1964 Flora was one of the first soft margarines to be launched in the UK. In 1996, Flora sponsored the London Marathon for the first time.

Flora was voted the most trusted margarine or butter in the UK in the Reader's Digest trusted brands survey in 2003.

Related topics Regulation & Safety Unilever

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