I’m at the check out, buying Kerrygold butter. (Our cow is drying up, so I’m back to buying butter.)
Lady at the checkout: “What’s so special about this butter?”
Me: “It comes from grass-fed cows, so it’s rich in beta-carotene and Vitamin D.” (Also E and K2, but I didn’t say that.)
Lady: “Oh, would that be the same as the Amish butter we carry?”
Me: “YOU CARRY AMISH BUTTER????” (I was a wee-bit excited.)
Lady: “Yeah, it’s over there [she described where] and people just love it. It’s SO GOOD! And it’s such a good price, too! You get this big log for about six dollars or something like that.”
Me: “I’ve got to check that out!”
Finding the Amish Butter
I found the refrigerator case with all the hand-rolled logs of Amish butter.
Wait a second. Hold on. What’s “country” supposed to mean? It’s from the same area as Amish farms? It’s rolled into a log like Amish butter?
Is this Amish butter or not?
I open the case and pull out a log, going right for the label.
You see what it says. Don’t read further down this post. Check your gut feeling. Is this Amish butter or not?
(blank space to give you room to think)
What I Was Thinking
“WI Grade A” — Grade A milk from a regular dairy in Wisconsin? “Alcam Creamery” — could be Amish? Nah, doesn’t sound Amish.
If this is Amish butter, wouldn’t it be labeled as “grass-fed” or “fresh from a Wisconsin Amish dairy farm”?
(For comparison, the Kerrygold butter label says, “In Ireland, cows graze on the green pastures of small family farms. This milk is churned to make Kerrygold butter.”)
What’s with the pale yellow color?
And why are there gobs and gobs of rolls of it? Certainly small Amish family farms don’t produce enough butter for discount markets across the country?
My stomach is now sunk all the way to the floor.
This is no Amish butter, I’m certain of it.
As I put the butter back into the case and turn around to leave, a lady tells me, “That butter is THE BEST. … It’s Amish.” Really? I wasn’t so sure.
Getting the Facts
Back home, I visit the Alcam Creamery website, specifically the Hand-Rolled Butter page.
I notice that nowhere in the text of the page is there any mention of Amish. The only place you see Amish is on the picture of the package.
Check out these words: “A great item for specialty stores, for a chef in an upscale restaurant and farmers’ markets.” So, are they hand-rolling regular (non-Amish) butter to sell as a specialty item and therefore charge a higher price? Hmm… could be.
Then I call Alcam Creamery, using the customer service number listed on the website. A man answers.
Man: “Alcam Creamery. How can I help you?”
Me: “Hi, I live in Oregon and I just picked up a roll of your Amish Country Roll Butter at my grocery store. Is this Amish butter?”
Man: “Yes, that’s the brand name.”
Me: “But is it actually Amish butter?”
Man: “No.”
Me: “So, why is it called Amish?”
Man: pause
Me: “Is it because you hand roll it?”
Man: “Yes, that’s why.”
Me: “Thank you so much.” Then I hang up.
At-Home Comparison
I open a package of Amish Country Roll Butter and Kerrygold and put them side by side to compare color and taste.
The Kerrygold butter is more yellow, no doubt. More yellow means more beta-carotene. It means the cows were probably eating lots of rapidly growing green grass, because that is where they get the beta-carotene that gets into the cream which makes the butter (or cheese). Yellow cheese and yellow butter are awesome all around — taste and health.
Ingredients in each type of butter? The same: pasteurized cream and salt. The kids and I do a taste-test. The Amish Country Roll Butter is overly salty — unmistakeable to all of us. And we like salt, so that says a lot.
The taste and color comparison is neither here nor there in terms of getting the facts. I don’t even know if Amish farms have grass-fed cows any more. Do they? Or have they converted to grain-fed? You tell me.
It was just interesting to compare, for our own curiosity.
By the way, the Amish Country Roll Butter is about half the cost of the Kerrygold.
Deceptive Marketing?
I talked with three people about this Amish Country Roll Butter and two of them thought it was true Amish butter. The checkout lady told me how everyone in town loves this Amish butter, and I speculate many think it really is Amish butter, too. This reminds me of how the labels “natural” and “farm fresh” are used on foods. Most consumers fall for it.
I’m not even sure that the Amish Country Roll Butter is falsely labeled. It is hand-rolled like real Amish butter, after all.
I do think the name on the package is deceptive, though. I’ll go that far. Alcam Creamery must realize that people think their hand-rolled butter is Amish, yet they don’t do much to dispel that myth. Remember that when I called Alcam Creamery and asked whether the butter was Amish, the man’s first answer to me was: “Yes, that’s it’s brand name.” Does that usually satisfy people? Are they told to say that and hope the inquirer won’t try to go deeper?
If Alcam Creamery was really interested in truth in marketing, the employees (or maybe he was the owner, I don’t know) would answer something more truthful, like “Oh, no, it’s not Amish. But we hand-roll it like the Amish do and that’s where the name comes from.”
Instead, his answer confirmed for me that he knew the label was misleading. He couldn’t answer my real question without revealing his insider knowledge.
I don’t know much else about Alcam Creamery, and I’m not trying to slam them or their people. I only know what I’ve shared here about the hand-rolled butter. For all I know, they’re a great small town place to work. In terms of labeling, though, they’re not unique. Many companies use misleading labels.
All around I think it is unfortunate and depressing. Consumers don’t question what they’re buying and assume that labels are truthful. Companies knowingly mislead consumers through less-than-truthful product labels.
What’s the solution? Not government regulation! Consumers should wise up, push back, and stop supporting companies that market like this. There’s nothing more effective than marketplace competition. Ron Paul said of the healthcare industry, “True competition in the delivery of medical care is what is needed, not more government meddling.” That’s true of the food industry as well.
What do you think about the Amish Country Rolled Butter and how it is marketed? Would you have bought it thinking it was really Amish butter or would you have known better? Do you think it is falsely or deceptively labeled? What is the responsibility of consumers, government and food companies in issues of deceptive marketing? Seen any false labels on other foods lately?
I shared this post in Simple Lives Thursday and Fight Back Friday.
About Wardee Harmon
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This was a great post!
I took a photo recently to show “just” the color difference between Organic Valley butter and some generic “real” butter. Both were the butter pats I’d picked up when I was out and it was all I had in the house. I love Kerrygold, too, and am so glad to have discovered them, and your site!
Thank you!
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An annatto coloring can be added to butter to make the color. You still can’t be sure just by color.
How wonderful for you to do this bit of research ~ I am sure many would think that Amish butter was from Amish farmers! I have noticed the light yellow color of the butter before and thought it was very pale in comparison to our butter that I make. Our butter is so dark yellow, almost like mustard — a good testimony to what a real grass-fed Jersey produces!
Thanks for this post.
the color of real buter may vary a great deal based on the season with the change of diet of the cow. Lush green grass will generally produce a much more yellow butter than hay fed cows produce in the winter. Also the yellow butter may be the result of butter coloring mixed into the butter prior to packaging…………know your farmer, know your dairyman, know the cows and the processes used. Just because a cow is “grass fed” does not mean that she is not fed supplemental grain to maintain production. Keep in mind also that some breeds of cows will generally produce a difference in the yellow color of your butter, a holstein generally will not produce the degree of yellow in butter that a Jersey will. Don’t judge your butter totally on color, Know you cows, know the farmer…………….
“Buyer, beware!” This is what comes to mind.
Read the labels and use your common sense. “Amish Country Rolled Style Butter” would be more to the point perhaps. On the one hand I appreciate laws that guide products. Quacks can’t go around poisoning people as one example. On the other is the idea of too much of a good thing.
“All things in moderation” we are commanded. ALL things. Including government regulations. Including eating real Amish butter. Including smoking two packs of cigarettes a day instead of enjoying one good cigar. I don’t need the government telling me what’s healthy but I would like to know what’s in the sausage I am about to buy. We don’t live as close to our store bought food as we once did so we don’t know our farmers, and ranchers, and dairymen. We knew their ways and could make choices as to whom we bought what from.
I could keep rambling but I’ll stop because I think You All are smart enough to get my point!
Hello, Wardee : )
Jamie
I live in Independence, Oregon. What stores carry the Kerrygold?
Kathryn — Sherm’s in Roseburg just started carrying it. My friend asked them repeatedly for over a year before they did. Also, Trader Joe’s in Eugene carries it. That’s all I know.
not sure where independence is… but i’m about 1/2 hour outside of eugene… i just discovered that the kiva (health food store) in eugene carries it… never been to the trader joe’s here, so i don’t know if there’s a price difference…
And always ask your regular grocer to carry it! I used to have to drive an hour to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, but now our local chain grocer carries it, thanks to customers requesting it.
Kathryn,
I’ve found Kerrygold at all Market of Choice locations, as well as our Safeway in Cottage Grove. I agree with Heather — ask and your grocer may start carrying it
Given enough time… and marketing slang, ‘Amish’ will have as much meaning as ‘Kosher’… not that there’s anything ‘wrong’ with that!
Yes, I saw this too and bought some for comparison and research at home. I wish I had waiting for this blog post now – lol
I never thought it was Amish, but I did want to see if it was any better than regular butter. Nope the color is the same – sigh.
It’s good to learn these things as I’m sure more and more businesses will try going the way of deception in order to capitalize on those seeking healthful alternatives.
Jami
I suspected as much. It’s so hard to chase down all this info. Shame on that company. I hope a bunch of folks who have this in their markets call and complain….where do we report this for false advertising?
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Thank you for the post! I buy Amish Roll Butter here in VA. Up until now I thought I was buying butter from real Amish farms meaning from pastured cows. Went online to check the info on the diary and guess what? The name on the butter is “Amish Roll Butter” but the name of the same product online is “Amish-Style Rolled Butter”. How can it be, right? I tried calling them but the only option was to leave a voice mail. So I will try again. But I think I know the answer to my question already:( So so sad that there is so much deception and it is confusing to people who want to eat healthy. I am thankful to have also a membership in buying club which supplies with real Amish products from real Amish farms.
Ah, truth in packaging! Reminds me when I bought a nut-free oil for my massage practice only to read in the small print later that the oil was manufactured in a facility that processes nut oils! Goes to show we really need to read ALL of the label and re-read it frequently since manufacturers like to “improve” their product.
I think that government regulations about accuracy of labeling are completely appropriate. I agree we should be able to decide what we choose to feed our families, but in order to make those choices, we need labels to accurately represent what is being sold in the marketplace. Personally, if this butter had been my discovery, I’m pretty sure I would have contacted at least the state agencies assigned to regulate food labeling, and reported them. IMO, the creamery is representing their product in a deliberately deceptive fashion, and that is not OK, and likely not legal, and does financial damage to dairies that are actually doing things right, and deceives people who think they are consuming a more healthful product.
I would agree if our government wasn’t also part of the problem. They are as criminal about allowing deceptive labeling as the worst of the profits motivated companies, because they are heavily influenced and in many ways controlled by lobbiests & lawyers “owned” by these same companies. Unfortuantely, our only hope is to look to ourselves for honest reporting.
Love that you took the time to research for us all. I always thought it was Amish, but that is because I but it in Amish stores. I’m going to check their label and see if it is different. It does taste okay, but now I’m really going to be on the lookout.
As for Amish and grass-fed cows. Our neighbours (Amish) are grass-fed. They may give them some corn but I don’t think they do. I will ask them next time. We always have great talks.
Thanks
Great post and so true! It’s amazing that so many people take whatever it says as the truth, without doing any research. The same is true for vitamins, minerals and supplements. the FDA only requires a product to contain 10% of natural food in order to be labeled 100% natural. Most all suppelments that you buy in the box or convienient stores that say 100% natural only contain a small % of natural food with no or very little testing.
People don’t see outstanding results because they are not taking a 100% all natural whole food supplement! I am not a health fanatic, but there is a major difference.
here’s a blog post I recently wrote on the subject: http://srkindredspirits.blogspot.com/2012/02/are-all-vitamins-same.html
ps. i found you through a prairie homestead on fb!
I live in Ohio near the Amish, and I don’t even trust the Amish to sell Amish. I’ve bought Amish made furniture from an Amish furniture store, only to come home and find a “made in China” label underneath. I only buy Kerrygold.
. Thanks for a great reminder to read labels and trust your instincts.
Heather,
I know what you mean. I’m in Annapolis and we have an Amish Market that’s open Thurs/Fri/Sat year-round. Not only are they selling re-packaged fruit loops to appear as though they are some kind of homemade treat (among many other items), but when I asked them where the butter and cheese came from, the Amish women behind the counter could not tell me anything about the products they were selling. I think this is a real shame. I also questioned the produce counter about the VERY LARGE ripe strawberries they had in the mid-winter months- again, I could not get a straight answer, and a lot of “I’m not sure” responses. My intincts told me that these could not be truely organic products.
I do not purchase ANYTHING from the Amish market anymore.
This is the exact same “Amish” butter that I’ve been buying. We live in Florida, but have driving to a small country town in Alabama for our – not really Amish butter. I’m so glad that you brought this to my attention. I’ve been paying $8.95 for a 2 lb. roll.
Maybe you could get ocheesee creamery butter in your area. They are in West Florida, they have pastured jersey cows. I have even bought there product in the Tallahassee area. Worth checking into, here is their website: http://www.ocheeseecreamery.com/the-product.
I love Ocheessee Milk!! We usually drive to the creamery in B’town. I tried their butter once and it didn’t seem to last that long in the refrigerator. I’ll give them another try. The people at the Ocheessee Creamery are always so nice. We’ve been buying from them for over a year.
Do you mean to say that Kerrygold butter is pasteurized? I had no idea. Now my only option will really be to make my own from cream I get at my local dairy.
We know better but many people do not. I think it is sad that the dairy can get away making money off the Amish name. I don’t think we can assume that Amish cows are all grass fed. The ones I know grow corn and hay. We boarded some of our show cows with an Amish farmer. He and his neighbors all fed grain.
We spend alot of time with the Amish in Lancaster County, PA, and the cows there do NOT graze; they live in sheds and are fed. The Amish farms are about 85 acres max because that’s all you can manage with a horse and plow, without modern equipment. They have to make their entire living off that small acreage and are not necessarily sympathetic with organic methods. Amish is NOT synonymous with “natural, organic, healthy”.
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This has been at Sherms for a few month’s now. I also read the label, noted the color, and concluded that the price meant it was surely not feasible to send REAL butter all the way to Oregon for 3.50/ pound! But when I see it I still have that memento of ‘ah, it looks tempting in that large uneven roll!’ Thanks for sharing your info about it Wardee. It won’t tempt me any more
I’m of the buyer beware camp. I think it’s unethical for companies to use deceptive naming, but I certainly don’t want the government doing anymore policing than it already does.
As someone who lives in the middle of many Amish families I assure you that anything that you can buy in a grocery store is not going to be made by Amish. The only way that it would be is if they owned their own company. One example are Amish Fry Pies. Amish people own the factory that produces these..but they are massed produced.
Scams claiming to be “Amish” are pretty common, unfortunately.
And, ummmm….this is an electric heater. I didn’t think most of the Amish used electricity…..
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/video-hub/home–garden/home-appliances–energy-savings/amish-heater-review/16952133001/14379036001/
A couple of years ago I would have been naive enough to buy”Amish” butter. That is no longer the case! I have done much reading and research about foods, labels, farmers, etc., and am disgusted by what I have found! Currently following a Paleo diet; no starches, grains, sugars, processed foods. I am selective when I shop. Kerrygold is in my fridge, as well as fresh lard rendered down myself from a local butcher (locally raised pigs). Packaging is deceptive…you HAVE to educate yourself! I believe there is too much government trying to control everything, but with GMO foods, seeds, the Monsanto push by the government….this needs to be controlled! We should know what is going into our foods AND have a choice. Write to your Congress!
I love reading the comments! Ah, to live near Amish country, and perchance obtain something authentically Amish
I have some friends that live in Amish country in Wisconsin, and we went to visit them a few years back. It’s interesting; my friend said that they use SO MUCH fertilizer that it’s seeping excess nitrogen into the aquifers, and people can’t even dig water wells anymore–in fact, in was causing some of the Amish children to be born with birth defects and varying (to severe) retardation because the Amish community was a bit behind the curve in recognizing that the well water was causing the problem.
Anyway, it was really an eye opener to me that the Amish used so much fertilizer that they were stockpiling it to the point of getting the attention of Homeland Security (it is an ingredient in bomb making). I did see lots of cows from Amish dairies in pastures munching on green grass, but I don’t know that I would trust that they understand “organic” from a sustainable farming and ranching standpoint like most of us “real foodies” and people that subscribe to the styles of Joel Salatin (I’m not speaking about “all” Amish, but those that we saw using a horse to draw the wagon that had the bucket of fertilizer across the field, and others that farm that way). Purchasing Amish food, unfortunately, is no different than any other: know your farmer.
But, back to your blog post: it’s disappointing that a creamery would be intentionally misleading.
Nice post. They are claiming its from “Amish Country” in the label. I think that is very deceptive because most people would not read through those lines. But sadly this is where being an informed educated consumer comes in. Stick with Kerry Gold. You will be much happier.
I bought “Amish” butter – once. Not impressed. Just another labeling gimmick.
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Great info, thank you. So fun to see someone from Roseburg, I grew up in Riddle… Thanks again.
AMISH – it’s funny to me that people think that their stuff is any different. I live by a huge Amish community and they grow conventionally with pesticides/chemicals just like everyone else. When I drive by their fields I”ll see them out spraying their fields with chemicals behind their horse. ACK
This is the main reason I don’t step foot in a grocery store any more. I buy from small local producers – luckily I get raw milk from a local farm & make my own butter and we have a small organic pastured dairy nearby as well that sells butter. I know their cows are pastured because their butter changes colors throughout the seasons.
Cheers to you for hopefully opening some eyes!
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The package says Amish Country…. That is all that I would expect from it – that it came from an area where there were Amish folks – but not that it was necessarily Amish itself…
Personally, I buy Tillamook Butter. when it’s on sale, and freeze it for later use.
I live here in Oregon too and havent seen either butter. Ive been looking to see if there are any Amish living in Oregon…….and havent found any. Do they live here and if so where? I would have been so excited to see that label tho at first because I am seeking fresh Amish foods. When I lived in NJ I was able to shop at an Amish market and loved everything including the butter from there. So since then I seek. But Im very glad you posted this. Ill be sure to avoid it. If it was a good butter I would still have bought it but its sounding to me like marketing hype to push inferior butter.
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Frustrating and disappointing…
Unfortunately, KerryGold is just as guilty of misleading marketing tactics too:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/beware-the-new-kerrygold-butter/
I found this in one of our Olympia, WA stores and wondered if it was true or not. thought I’d wait and see if someone else picked it up and did some research.
thanks for doing my work.
I live about 3 hours from them and have never heard of them or seen their butter in our local store.
Wow, such an interesting post. I’d have fallen for the Amish claim hook, line, and sinker, and I’d have fallen for the guy on the phone’s first answer, too. Good for you. I will have to be more careful.
I buy from the Amish and they have 100% grassfed cows. Also everything they have is amazing!
We only eat Kerrygold these days, and I only buy it at Trader Joe’s because it’s waaaaay cheaper there than anywhere else that I’ve seen it. TJ’s is a little bit of a drive for me, so I always buy a whole pile of packages of butter. The cashier always comments about the amount of butter I have in my cart. Usually something like, “Wow, you sure must love butter!” To which I reply, “Yes! Yes I do!”
Great site. We just got a jersey cow and I’ve been looking for ideas for all the milk. What a coincidence to see you mention Kerrygold butter, as I live in Kerry, Ireland! A tip for those in the US, look for it on sale after St. Patricks day in your supermarket. Stores often stock it just for the holiday and will discount it afterwards.
No doubt the check-out girl thought the butter was so great DUE to the excess salt. Quite a few people these days are inclined to think something tastes great if it’s doused in salt or sugar.
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My husband and I spent our honeymoon in a cottage in Amish country in Illinois. We visited an Amish restaurant, thinking we would get healthy food. They had this peanut butter jar on the tables, and we read the labels – sugar was added! And the peanut butter was labelled Amish peanut butter! We no longer think Amish = healthy. Maybe 100 years ago, but not today.
Last night I was talking to a woman who was Amish and her teeth were rotted. I thought that was odd. This may explain it.
“Amish Peanut Butter” is a tradition all it’s own. It is sugar and honey and peanut butter and maybe more whipped together. Oooey-goooey goodness **if** you don’t care about consuming sugar.
Thank you Wardee for bringing this to our attention and for all your efforts on all our behalf. As more and more people are wanting to turn to a more natural and healthy lifestyle, the profits motivated companies will do more and more to deceptively cash in on this cultural shift, but not to necessarily accommodate. If it is discovered that a company is just a slick mountebank selling snake oil, then their actions speak volumes about that company’s ethics and it is entirely appropriate to identify them and thier products for what they really are. Shame on them!
Unless I’m specifically getting it from a local, small farm, I stick with either Clover, California Gold, or Tillamook dairy products. I don’t pay much attention to the beta-carotene, but I know the cows are treated reasonably well, and they’re reasonably local. (Tillamook’s far, but on the same coast.)
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Great post, Wardee. Good job on the legwork to show the truth about the butter’s misleading labeling. Buyer beware, for sure! I wonder if the creamery is calling the butter “Amish Country” because they are located in a place that is considered by locals to be amish country. In PA, that’s the term we used to refer to Lancaster and other areas where the amish population was high.
Clearly, the Alcam butter is not the “real deal” and I hope people will begin to question labels…it’s high time the public stopped trusting the food industry!
We also enjoy Kerrygold; I just wish it were raw! Great Ron Paul quote, by the way. Cheers! Gabi
I just noticed the link above regarding Kerrygold…thanks for sharing that, JW. The fact is that if we aren’t making our own raw butter from grass-fed cows, we’re compromising… But since that’s a part of reality more often than not, I guess we must do our homework and find the most reasonable compromise available….
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In point of fact “Amish Country”, while obviously a labeling gimmick, is true in this case. The creamery is located on the edge of WI’s most heavily Amish area (I lived in WI’s Amish Country for a few years), so some of the milk used to make the butter may even be from Amish farms…BUT raw milk sales are illegal in WI, with even herdshares attracting unpleasant gov’t attention, so Amish dairy farmers are probably mostly selling their milk to the same creameries/cheese companies everyone else is.
I am very impressed that you were able to contact the company. I have emailed several people at Alcam Creamery and have NEVER received a response. My question was simple: Do your dairy farmers that produce your “Amish Country Butter” use bovine growth hormones with their cows? (I was certain from the beginning they were not actually Amish, I’d already had this same battle with Amish Cheese Shop last year and they DO use growth hormones.) I’m still waiting to hear from Alcam as to where they source their milk. I quit buying their butter as soon as I realized I was never going to hear from their “customer service” department. You are right, it is overly salty in addition to being misleadingly labeled.
Good sleuthing, the perception of the Amish is based on marketing, and peoples ideals. Using horsepower does not mean you’re organic. Unfortunately, the Amish farm like many other farmers in the US, some are organic, and most are not.
I often wonder too, really does Ireland have enough land base and cows to provide grassfed butter to export? I doubt it. But the marketing works good there too. People lap it up, with no care in the world about shipping perishable food around the world. Working with local farmers to produce a truly nutrient dense product would be better for everyone and the environment. I freeze my nutrient dense butter and make ghee to weather the my cow’s dry period.
I agree with your point about shipping food around the world…I keep thinking about that as I buy the Kerrygold…it’s one of the irksome issues I have with doing so. It’s certainly out of step with being a local-vore, and hardly seems a sustainable practice. And there is no transparency with any food producer that you cannot inspect locally…so much is just “trust,” and that’s not a great place to be. Hmmmm…so many dilemmas!!
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I agree. I live in/near Amish families. Amish does NOT equal natural or organic or grass fed or high quality….or even no technology (but that’s a whole ‘nother ball of wax.) Yes, there are still “natural” Amish farmers out there, but not more so than any other religion or group.
Yellow doesn’t mean better either. My 100% grass fed cows (we manage our pastures to allow for year round grazing) only give slightly darker yellow cream in the heat of summer when the PUFA level in the grass are higher. The best butter is actually harvested from early spring grasses….pre “yellow.”
-Jenn
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I LOVE KERIGOLD! And I wont stop using until I get my own cow and use my own milk and churn my own butter! That stuff is the BOMB!
Surely it wouldn’t be easier to simply by cream and make your own butter? Then you know where the milk is coming from and don’t have to worry.
Excellent article! It is so true that buyers need to beware. Labels can be most deceiving. I recently read (wish I could remember where!) that Kerrygold is now cutting their butter. It sure would be so sad if it is true. We would be in the same dilemma we are in with olive oil. Bottom line: with all farm foods, unless you know the farmer and really trust the farmer, you could be getting inferior foods.
without gov’t reguluation you would not have had the little bit of information you did to even contact the company. EVERY BIT of information on the package is only there because it is mandated by the big bad gov’t. you should be more thankful for consumer protection and give credit where credit is due.
I could make a coffee table book about all the deceptive products at our local Whole Foods. They seem to be worse than conventional grocery stores in this regard. Trying to keep up the falsely self labeled facade of “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” while making a buck, by selling crap and making it appear healthy.
I’ve been purchasing this butter. I have purchased it from two different farmer’s markets in my area and I posed the question. “Amish butter? I didn’t even realize there is an Amish community in Florida?” They both replied no, it is Amish ‘style’ meaning it is made the same way that Amish people would produce their butter. It is not factory butter.
So I guess the question now is, “How do the Amish produce their butter? Are they grass fed cows? Is it pastuerized?”