The Toronto-based firm said earlier this week that it will now make its entire line of margarine products - among them the 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' line - without the artery-clogging trans-fatty acids.
Linked to raised blood cholesterol levels and heart disease in animal fats, trans fats - created by a chemical process called hydrogenation in the production process for longer shelf life - have come under fire from consumer organisations pressing the food industry to cut the ingredient out of foods.
Last year the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that by 2006 all manufacturers will have to clearly label the levels of these fats in their foods.
While there are no such labelling rules in the European Union certain national governments are pushing for change. Last year Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce restrictions on the use of industrially produced trans fatty acids. Oils and fat are now forbidden on the Danish market if they contain trans fatty acids exceeding 2 per cent.
Unilever Canada is the latest in a growing list of manufacturers opting to remove trans fatty acids that includes Swiss company Nestle, US fast food giant McDonalds and Frito-Lay North America, a division of PepsiCo. McDonalds said last year it would cook all French fries in oil with 48 per cent less trans fatty acids - although according to US consumer groups has since quietly reneged on its pledge - while Frito-Lay said it would cut trans fatty acids from its salty snacks, including Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos.
Market demand for alternatives to trans fats is moving in parallel to the rising health concerns. Opportunities to carve into the growing market saw speciality fats and oils company Loders Croklaan breaking ground on the biggest palm oil refinery in Europe. Announcing the venture last month, the Dutch firm said that once completed a new factory - at Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands - will process some 2,500 - 3,000 tons of palm a day, opening up immediate entry for the Dutch firm into the large volume supply of palm oil based ingredients.
"Palm opens real market opportunities for Loders Croklaan, as well as for our client companies who are looking to eliminate trans fats from their food products," said Loders Croklaan CEO Etienne Selosse.
Spun off from Unilever last year, the speciality oils and fats company will source the raw material from its new parent, the Malaysian palm plantation owner IOI group. A synergy that is now the backbone of the company's 'Growing with Palm' strategy.