Winners of Biodiversity Awards Revealed

MADRID, November 22, 2010 - Companies in the food sector, leading and pioneering efforts to promote
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, were honoured with
Biodiversity Awards on Tuesday 16 November. The Union for Ethical BioTrade
(UEBT) and United Business Media (UBM) revealed the winners at a ceremony
held at the Health Ingredients trade fair in Madrid, hosted by health expert
and nutritionist Amanda Hamilton.

Coop, the largest retail group in Switzerland was recognized in the
Leadership category for its commitment to regional produce, rare species and
its support to organic farmers. The jury also commended Coop's creative
public awareness campaigns to bring biodiversity closer to the consumer.
Unilever, a company known for its numerous global food brands, was recognized
in the innovation category for its Allanblackia project, working with rural
producers and local biodiversity in Africa in the development of this new
vegetable oil. The jury commended Unilever's commitment to small scale
farming systems and its partnership with environmental NGOs.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Christian Waffenschmidt, Head of
Sustainability Brands of Coop said, "We are very grateful to UEBT and UBM for
recognizing our commitment and honouring us with the Biodiversity Award. For
us, this award is a confirmation that we are on the right path. And it is
also a stimulus to even further increase our commitment with regard to
sustainability."

Maha Misbah, Senior Project Leader, Supply Chain Innovation for Unilever
also said: "We are delighted to receive this award. Monday, Unilever unveiled
its 'Sustainable Living Plan' in which we set our goals for sustainable
sourcing, reducing environmental impact and enhancing livelihoods. The
Allanblackia project is a great example of how we will reach these goals."

The Biodiversity Awards, a joint venture between UEBT and UBM, recognize
the focus on sustainability issues in the International Year of Biodiversity
2010 and the important role of business in realizing international objectives
on biodiversity. Rik Kutsch Lojenga, Executive Director of UEBT, called the
Biodiversity Awards "a real success." He noted that the Biodiversity Awards
"not only convoked many interesting initiatives in the sector, but also
provided the opportunity to reward ones that we feel are truly groundbreaking
and showing the potential of business engagement in biodiversity."

At the awards ceremony, honourable mentions were also awarded. In the
leadership category a mention was awarded to Marks & Spencer, one of the
leading retailers in the UK, for its company-wide programmes addressing
biodiversity, and partnerships such as its collaboration with WWF. The other
honorable mention in the leadership category was awarded to Lotus Foods, a
U.S. company working to bring ancient rice varieties to the market, giving
farmers a reason to use and protect such varieties. In the innovation
category, an honorable mention was awarded to EcoFlora, a Colombian company
that has developed a natural blue colorant based on local biodiversity and
Ethical BioTrade principles.

The panel of judges for the 2010 Biodiversity Awards included Amarjit
Sahota of Organic Monitor, Cyril Lombard of PhytoTrade Africa, Francis
Vorhies of Earthmind, and Katie Bird of Decision News Media. Mr. Sahota,
speaking of behalf of the jury, noted the growing commitment to biodiversity
in the food sector: "With the International Year of Biodiversity, we seem to
have reached the turning point on business and biodiversity, which is now
becoming an actual consideration for both companies and consumers."

The Union for Ethical BioTrade is a non-profit association that promotes
the 'Sourcing with Respect' of ingredients that come from native
biodiversity. Members commit to gradually ensuring that their sourcing
practices promote the conservation of biodiversity, respect traditional
knowledge, and assure the equitable sharing of benefits all along the supply
chain.

www.ethicalbiotrade.org

Union for Ethical Biotrade, +41-22-566-1585, emma at ethicalbiotrade.org; or United Business Media Limited, +44-207-7921-5961 , communications at ubm.com