Unilever invests in Swedish plant

Unilever Bestfoods is investing in new technology for healthier margarine at its Helsingborg production facility in southern Sweden.

Unilever Bestfoods is investing in a new production unit for a liquid margarine, said to be healthier than standard margarines, reports FoodOresund.

The $8.75 million investment at its Helsingborg site in the öresund Region of Sweden is the third of its kind in Europe and is based on a new packaging technology, which shapes the bottle, fills it up and seals it all at once.

The lipid combinations in soft and liquid margarines are thought to have a better impact on cholesterol levels than the hard varieties.

"It is truly the rising concern and awareness of health among consumers that explains the rising consumption of fluid margarine," Eva Skoog at Unilever told FoodOresund.

Unilever Bestfoods makes Flora Pro.activ, the first cholesterol-reducing margarine to be given novel foods approval in Europe.