Dalda

Dalda is a brand of hydrogenated vegetable oil popular in South Asia. The substance was originally imported from the Netherlands in the 1930s by the trading company Dada Limited. When Hindustan Lever Limited wanted to brand it, the trader, who still retained a commercial connection with the product, said it had to be named after his company. HLL wanted to include the letter 'L' in it for Lever (of the Unilever group), and thus was born one of the longest-living brands in Pakistan. Dalda, which came to be synonymous with the vanaspati (hydrogenated vegetable fat) genre, was recently extended to a range of edible oils. Hindustan Lever has since sold the brand.

Bunge Limited now owns Dalda, offering new variants of Dalda in India.

In July 2004, Unilever Pakistan accepted the offer of Rs. 1.33 million for the sale of its "Dalda" brand to Westbury Group in collaboration with Unilever Employee Welfare Group, who formed a separated company under Dalda Foods (Private) Ltd. Dalda has now divested into Canola and Olive Oil product variants.

Hydrogenated oils are main source for Trans fats. Of all the fats, trans fatty acids are considered to have an adverse effect on blood lipids and immune system.

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