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BOVRIL
 Bovril, the beefy
drink beloved of football fans, has been stripped of its
main meaty ingredient in a bid to boost sales. Unilever
says vegetarians can now enjoy the drink and the move
will counter concerns overseas in the wake of BSE. The
drink's usual 40% of beef stock has been replaced with a
savoury yeast mix at the firm's Burton-on-Trent factory.
Unilever said in blind taste tests 10% did not notice any
difference and 50% preferred the new product.
A spokesman for the firm said a long-term decline in
sales had prompted the move. He said, "It was not an
easy decision to make because we know people like the
taste of beef. Many people have a strong affection for
the Bovril brand but that doesn't necessarily come
through in sales. In blind taste tests we have conducted
10% didn't notice any difference in taste, 40% preferred
the original and 50% preferred the new product."
He added, "We have seen a long-term decline in
sales, particularly in our export market, which used to
account for 20% of sales, but has dropped to 7%. One of
the areas where we think we can grow sales is in this
export market, particularly in Asia, where it is very
popular. In Malaysia they stir it into porridge and
coffee but the government there was becoming quite
restrictive on non-halal meat. There were also a lot of
limitations put in place because of BSE. In addition we
wanted to broaden the user base and it is now suitable
for vegetarians as well."
Bovril was invented by Scotsman John Lawson Johnston
after he won a contract to supply one million cans of
beef to the French army. The name Bovril derives from a
name Mr Johnston found in a book. Vril was "an
electric fluid" which according to the book
"cured diseases and established equilibrium of
natural powers". The Latin word for beef is bos. In
1884 Mr Johnston returned to London and set up a small
factory in Trinity Square. Production switched to
Staffordshire in 1968.
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