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For butter lovers on diet, try Smart Balance

By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published February 23, 2005

Does the market really need 14 buttery spreads? That was the question our panelists were asking less than halfway through a recent sampling of some of the spreads offered at local grocery stores.

To qualify as butter or margarine, spreads have to contain at least 80 percent fat, combined with 20 percent milk solids. Today, that number is too scary for many shoppers who prefer buttery substitutes, generically called "spreads" by their manufacturers. Most boast about being healthy and some, like Benecol, have been shown to reduce cholesterol through stanol esters, natural plant substances combined with canola oil.

The spreads we tasted ranged from 70 percent to 48 percent fat from a variety of oils including vegetable, canola, sunflower, soybean and olive, before additives and preservatives were mixed. Like butter, most spreads do not contain the trans fatty acids that can increase cholesterol levels.

Our panelists had a difficult time comparing the spreads. We put the samples on thin water crackers and the differences were primarily in texture. Those with more oil, expectedly, spread easier. They were smooth and creamy. Others were hard and a bit more yellow.

The winner was Smart Balance Plus ($1.29). With the addition of a fifth, guest judge, Dave Wirth, co-host of Life Around the Bay on WTSP-Ch. 10, the spreads could receive a total of 100 points. Smart Balance garnered 73. All but one of our panelists said they would buy this brand. Interestingly though, the panelists who said they used Smart Balance didn't rate this spread as their favorite in the test.

Smart Balance won for its flavor, the closest to real butter, according to our panelists. This one also was creamy and not too salty.

Smart Balance contains Omega 3 fish oils. It is 67 percent vegetable oil.

Smart Balance can be used in cooking, along with most of the spreads, although some "lite" versions do not melt well in recipes.

Two spreads tied for second place in our survey with 54 points. They were Olivio ($1.79) and I Can't Believe It's Not Light Butter ($1.39). Judges liked the saltiness of both spreads.

"This one glistens and I'm sure that's good," one judge said of the Olivio. "It's good and salty as if it wants to meet up with some popcorn."

Another judge detected a bit of coconut oil flavor in the I Can't Believe It's Not Light Butter.

All three winners were purchased at a local Publix market, but we found them at all grocery store chains we visited: Albertsons, Kash n' Karry and Winn-Dixie. The spreads vary greatly in price. Benecol was $3.99 for an 8-ounce tub, compared to some store brands such as Albertsons and Kash n' Karry where 3-pound containers sell for $1.99 and $1.69, respectively.

In the end, our judges decided 14 buttery spreads is more than enough for even the pickiest consumer. And, the judges allowed, the average consumer probably couldn't tell the difference if the spreads were served on hot bread or in a yummy dessert.

Also tasted were: Earth Balance Natural ($2.29); Promise Light ($1.69); Take Control ($2.69); Move Over Butter (99 cents); Publix Tastes Like Butter ($1.29); Land O' Lakes Fresh Buttery Taste ($1.50); Blue Bonnet ($1.09); and Winn-Dixie (79 cents).

Panelists were: Jim Yockey, aesthetician, Tierra Verde Salon and day Spa; Dave Wirth, "Life Around the Bay," WTSP-Ch. 10; personal chef Marc Easterman; Bob Devin Jones, actor, director and playwright; and Nan Jensen, registered and licensed dietitian with Pinellas County Extension. All products were tasted blind.

Send suggestions for product testing to Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, 490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 or e-mail them to krieta@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line.

No. 1: Smart Balance Plus.

No. 2: (Tie) Olivio.

No. 2: I Can't Believe It's Not Light Butter.

[Last modified February 22, 2005, 09:56:04]