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An expensive-sounding pedigree doesn’t necessarily mean a food product isn’t subject to the ills plaguing so much of our food supply. A perfect example is Plugrá butter, which has a reputation as a high-end butter favored by many professional chefs. According to the Plugrá website:
Some of the most impressive culinary masters insist on using Plugrá® European-Style Butter to ensure superior results in every masterpiece. Slow-churned for less moisture with the optimal 82% butterfat, Plugrá is the secret to richer, creamier sauces, flakier pastries, higher cakes, sizzling sautés, and flavorful presentation.That all may be true, but tell us more about the cows supplying the milk used to make Plugrá. Here’s the e-mail response I received after calling Plugrá’s makers:
Dear Rob,In addition, the butter is not organic, so it’s almost certain that the cows’ feed contains genetically modified crops.
Thank you for contacting Dairy Farmers of America regarding Keller's Creamery and Plugrá butter. Keller's Creamery, a division of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. is a member owned cooperative of more than 10,000 dairy farmers in 48 states. Currently, the milk and cream used to make our butter does not come solely from dairy farmers who certify that their cows are not being treated with rbST or artificial growth hormones.
Thanks,
Consumer Affairs
Dairy Farmers of America
So, while Plugrá may be “European-Style” in its taste and fat content, it is far from European. The European Union bans the use of hormones and antibiotics in livestock and the growing of genetically modified crops.
My favorite butters are Smjör (Iceland), Anchor (New Zealand) and Kerrygold (Ireland).
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21 comments:
I'll have to look for Smjor- that's a new one on me! I haven't tried Anchor, but I do love Kerrygold. A few local grocery stores carry it in the summer (next time, I'm so stocking up).
I loved Plugra until I was able to get my hands on local, grassfed, organic butter. Since I've lost access to that, I've been buying Woodstock Farms, which is both organic and grassfed. It's the closest to Kerrygold or our local grassfed butter that I can find easily.
Whole Foods is the only store/chain I know of that carries Smjör. Anchor is tougher to find.
Rob
I was in Iceland last April, and loved the butter! On the way out of the country I bought some at the airport grocery. Sitting at the gate with my friend, she said "Did you see the butter in that store? Why would anyone buy butter at an airport?" I showed her my purchase. I was glad to have Smjor, and some killer blueberry preserves, when I got home.
I found this while researching about Plugra butter and I can't say I'm surprised. You hit the nail on the head with the "Ills plaguing our food supply comment". I can speak from experience about anchor butter as it was all I bought when I lived in the Philippines for 3 years... I love it but unfortunately it's not available here in Florida.
The Vintage Recipe Blog
Just thought I'd mention I was recently able to find Anchor butter at my local Walmart and Kerrygold at Target.
Here at Le Bon Vivant in Cincinnati, we sell only President unsalted butter from France, which in our view is the best available. Our pastry chef uses President unsalted butter in all her baking. The difference is noticeable - and delicious.
Catherine,
I just checked out Le Bon Vivant's website. If I am ever in Cincinnati, I'll stop by!
Thanks for this Chef Rob! I've been wondering the same thing recently. I've recently come across Kerrygold and Smjor (love this stuff) and even tho I've been using Organic Valley's pastuered butter, it's just not the same.
Kerrygold cows have 3% of their diet consisting of GM Crops - imported. Very disappointing as we loved Kerrygold.
"The European Union bans the use of hormones and antibiotics in livestock and the growing of genetically modified crops."
That's because Europe is intelligent, while America is stupidly corporate-run. If the corporations want all the additives, hormones, antibiotics, and GMO in our food, that's what we get in our food, because corporations are the only voice our government hears. We are being poisoned by our food industry every day, and all in the name of greed and profit. It's disgusting.
So glad I found your post. I was very excited to buy the product, thinking I was getting something "good". I was horrified to come back to my office, sit down and see "Dairy Farmers of America" on the bottom label, because, well, I just don't have much faith in our corporate businesses. I googled their website and couldn't find any information other than how delicious it is. So glad I found you, and I'll be looking for the brands you mentioned above. And yes, I will be taking my glasses with me next time to the grocery store.
I also contacted the makers of Plugra back in 2012 and got almost the same identical response:
"Dear Sally,
Thank you for contacting Dairy Farmers Of America regarding our Plugra
Butter. All milk used in the processing of our butter products have been
tested for antibiotics and is compliant with FDA Requirements
Keller's Creamery, a division of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. is a member
owned cooperative of more than 10,000 dairy farmers in 48 states.
Currently, the milk and cream used to make our butter does not come solely
from dairy farmers who certify that their cows are not being treated with
rbST or artificial growth hormones. According to the US Food and Drug
Administration, no significant difference has been shown between milk
derived from rbST treated and non-rbST treated cows."
It's too bad. There product is easily accessible to me, but I refuse to use it.
The cow's for Kerry Gold Butter are fed GMO alfalfa. It used to actually be listed in the fine print way down deep in their information barely able to be found, but the truth is, it contains GMO's. :(
Hi Rob, I'm hoping that more information has come forward since you posted this in 2010. Your assertion that because a farm is not organic they most likely are feeding their cows GMO feed is not only inaccurate and short-sighted, but also misleading to those you seek to educate. Certifying a farm organic requires a lot of paperwork and added expense (did you know there is a percentage of crop required to be paid to certify organic?) Many farms follow responsible and sustainable practices that you would like to see and yet don't choose to hand over a percentage of revenue so that they can certify organic. That may or may not be the case here, but I would trust and respect you as an expert more if you provided a full picture to your audience. Thank you!
Thank you
I have not seen Anchor butter here in Mass. but when in Barbados it is readily available in the markets, as is Country Life, which is an English butter not seen here either.
I grew up on Anchor Products. Needless to say, whenever I head back to my home country, I freeze my Butter and Cheeses and bring them back to America. It's one of the purest tasting diary, I've had so far. I've been looking at the Challenge Brand recently, how is that?
Wrong. The main voices our government hears are from voters and consumers. And studies consistently show that American consumers simply aren't that concerned about those issues -- especially when compared with cost. Go to any supermarket and see how cheaper mass-produced items sell compared with organic and/or artisan items. This is obvious in the produce section. In fact, even when costs are comparable, most American consumers go for the recognizable mass-produced items. So just because most Americans don't share your concerns and tastes, don't misdirect your rant at corporations. In America, consumerism drives corporations, not the other way around. Furthermore, majority rules so don't go around insulting American intelligence just because just most people don't agree with you.
Indeed, I'm a medical researcher in New York City who has access to all the latest medical data, as well as some of the world's finest restaurants. And guess what, I have no problems with my family or patients eating GM food or most government-approved additives. If you disagree, just don't eat them. How simple and democratic is that! But don't dictate what others can eat, and how much they need to spend to feed themselves.
”all in the name of greed and profit...”
Are you claiming that organic producers aren't driven by ”greed and profit”? Open your eyes and see which has a larger profit margin. Go into Whole Foods and compare their organic stuff vs what I can buy in Chinatown (which almost never has organic food). I get mass produced tofu in Chinatown for $1.50/20oz. Do you think there is a lot of profit there? When I was in Whole Foods, they had marinated tofu for $7.99/lb. Raw organic tofu was around $5. So which producer is making a larger profit? It's the organic producers/sellers because they know that there are consumers willing to pay -- regardless of what scientific data shows. There is simply less competition for niche products, so they'll charge as much as they can based on unverified claims of being healthier. And those gullible enough to believe are willing to pay. In other words, rather than making money from sales volume, organic sellers make money from overpricing. Sounds like greed to me.
I agree that Americans are consumers (actually we consume too much). Majority does not always rule look at the 2004 and 2016 prez. Elections. Popular majority voters lost to an irrelevant electoral college. What's the point of voting. Corporations do rule and the American sheeple and lemmings who actually have power in numb ers to change policy choose not to...why....this vibrant economy is not so vib5for many. Also too many complainers are uninformed or uneducated because they only listen to faux news. Tunnel vision, too closed minded to learn more from all sources- so we all suffer ex except the well connected and those who just got lucky. And to them I say do the right thing. Pay it forward. Help the ignorant that they become enlightened and then with their new found power be the change to end corporate greed
So it is not Grass Fed..That's all I was looking for and I can't even get a straight answer anywhere on the internet..Simple Yes or No question..Is it Grass fed?
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