Spread Brand Flora Says Dairy Is ‘A Bit Weird’ In New Ad

Flora, the famous UK-based spread brand, has hit out at dairy in a new advertising campaign.

The ad, titled “Bit Weird”, starts off by zooming in on a packet of Flora plant butter, with a voiceover stating: “There it is, Flora, made with plants.” And it tastes so good that it raises a question: is it a bit weird we’ve spent so many years pumping plants through a cow?”

As a cartoon image of a cow appears on screen, the voiceover says “here’s a cow, let’s ask him. Is it weird?” The cow then nods in agreement.

“It really is a bit weird, I totally agree, thank you,” the voiceover says, before finishing with the words: “Flora: skip the cow.”

Flora moves away from dairy

Flora, which was founded in 1964, has a wide range of spreads and plant-based butter blocks, which it sells in supermarkets across the UK.

Up until last year, Flora was not a vegan brand, and used dairy in its “buttery” spread. In October, however, the brand announced that it would be moving away from dairy completely, meaning its entire line is vegan-friendly.

Soon after, it launched a campaign called “skip the cow,” which it said is to encourage people to “stop and think” about consuming dairy.

Flora Flora has launched a campaign called “skip the cow”

“We’re thrilled to have made the Flora range 100 percent plant-based, completely dairy-free, and suitable for vegans, helping us on our mission to build a better, plant-based future,” Ian Hepburn, Marketing Director of Upfield in the UK, told PBN at the time. “The current food system isn’t sustainable, and we’re committed to driving positive change through delicious and nutritious food that’s not only easy and affordable, but better for us and our planet.”

Last month, Flora announced the release of double and plant-based creams to UK supermarkets. At the time, it said it was aiming to “disrupt” the cream market.

The problem with dairy

The dairy industry is widely regarded as cruel. Cows only produce milk after giving birth to a calf, and humans take her baby away so that she can be milked. When her milk production slows, she will be sent to the slaughterhouse.

It’s also an unsustainable industry. As well as producing greenhouse gas emissions (mostly in the form of methane), it uses up vast amounts of land and freshwater, while also causing pollution.