Another blow for Brits as major brands have reduced the amount of butter in popular spreads
TOP brands have reduced the butter content in popular spreads – and appear to have replaced it with water.
Experts said it is a classic example of 'skimpflation' – where ingredients are cut but shoppers pay the same price.
The Sun found that butter in Country Life Spreadable fell from 57 grams per 100 grams in 2017 to 50 grams today, a drop of 12 percent.
The oil content – used to soften the spread – has fallen by 17 percent.
Anchor and Yeo Valley spreads have a butter content of 50 grams per 100 grams, a decrease of 7.4 percent from 54 grams.
The oil content in both fell by 12 percent.
The other ingredients are salt and water, which help with the taste and texture.
The salinity has remained the same, so it is likely that the water content has increased to keep the total weight approximately the same.
Reduce the fat
We discovered that only Lurpak Spreadable has kept its recipe the same.
Consumer expert Martyn James said: “Reducing the percentage of key ingredients, usually the best bits, is incredibly sneaky and very unfair. Even light tinkering can undermine its taste or quality.”
The dairy industry is struggling with rising energy, ingredient and personnel costs and declining demand as we transition to vegan alternatives.
Yeo Valley and Anchor pointed out that their recipe changes had reduced the fat and calorie content in their products.
Arla, owner of both brands, said: “It is important that we ease the pressure on cash-strapped buyers when we can, and that we pay our farmers a fair price.
“We have also ensured that we can offer our customers better products by investing in promotions, new prices and pack sizes.”
Country Life owner Saputo Dairy UK did not respond to requests for comment.
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