PHOTO: Official website of Unilever
The Philippine unit of consumer goods giant Unilever on Thursday said the company is looking at expanding the local lineup of its leading seasoning brand, Knorr, in the next few years.
Unilever Philippines Nutrition Business Unit Lead Marinelle Villanueva said they are looking to introduce more liquid seasoning variants such as cooking sauces.
“We do want to expand also in some new formats, for example in more liquid seasoning,” Villanueva told reporters on the sidelines of Knorr’s kickoff celebration of the nutrition month this July.
“Maybe in the next to two to three years, we will see some new items that will come in,” she added, but declined to give more specific details about their upcoming products.
To date, Knorr has two liquid seasoning products, the original Knorr seasoning and the chili variant.
It also has its bouillon food products, which comes in beef, shrimp, pork, and chicken flavors.
The company also offers a number of sinigang and other soup mixes.
Food fortification
Aside from expanding their product line, Villanueva said the company will continue to fortify their food products with the essential nutrients and vitamins in a bid to help alleviate malnourishment in the country.
“We do look at our global portfolio, not just in the Philippines, and yes, fortification is one of the approaches that we embarked on,” Villanueva said during the same interview.
“All of the products we have in our portfolio, we do review. And we do want to add in (more) nutrients,” she said further.
Flavor and nutrition
The Unilever executive said that the buying behaviors of Filipinos still focuses on two major points: flavor and nutrition.
“Filipinos preference and priority will still be flavor. I think we all know that,” she said.
Are they looking for more nutritious ingredients when it comes to their cuisine? It’s a growing need for Filipinos. Some are more fully aware. A majority, I would say, would need a little bit more education,” added Villanueva.