Unilever CEO sees crisis as new normal for industry

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Unilever chief executive Alan Jope said on Tuesday that consumer goods companies should get used to the idea of “crisis being more or less the new normal” as they fight soaring inflation, climate change and a global food crisis.

“I must say I am a bit fed up of living in unprecedented times, I’d like to live in precedented times for a couple of years,” Jope told the Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Summit conference, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine and global inflation.

“Crisis is probably going to carry on being our norm for some time. We’re in the foothills of a very substantial global food crisis, we haven’t yet really seen the full impact of that and the mother of all crisis is of course the climate emergency.”

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin. Editing by Jane Merriman)