Unilever on trail of snack bar that slims

CONSUMER goods giant Unilever is to work on the first cereal snack bar that could make people lose weight. It has taken an exclusive global licence with British biotechnology company Phytopharm to develop the extract of a South African desert plant that suppresses appetite.

The drug is expected to be sold as a food bar or a drink and could help revive Unilever's Slim-Fast. Its sales were ravaged last year as people following the Atkins Diet spurned carbohydrate-rich food for protein-only meals.

Phytopharm chief executive Richard Dixey said Unilever would have the ultimate choice of brand through which to sell the slimming aid. He said: 'Unilever makes everything from cereal bars to spreads - we are not ruling anything out. The idea of having a low-calorie material which tastes nice with something that makes someone feel full is a winning combination.'

Phytopharm and Unilever estimate the product will be ready for sale within three years. The drug is derived from the Hoodia Gordonii, a cactus-like plant that thrives in the Kalahari desert.

Unilever is paying an upfront £6.5m out of a potential total of £21m to help with trials and to expand the plant cultivation programme in South Africa and Namibia. Phytopharm shares today raced to a two-year high, up 25½p at 241½p.

The US slimming market is worth $5bn a year. Analysts reckon Phytopharm could reap at least £50m in annual royalties once the product is on sale.