How I feel today: 

Ok, so how dumb is this?  And, you wonder why we have SO many unhealthy folks in the US?!!!!!

I use Parkay butter spray now right?  I used to use it a while ago but quit because I quit being “healthier” at one point and just didn’t give a damn.  So, now that I’m back to taking care of myself, I’ve “failed proof” my house and I bought spray butter again.  It’s basically just butter in spray form so that you use less of it.

This is what it is.

With all the confusion around and attempt to educate the public on food labels and serving sizes over the past few years, it seems a label with nothing but zeros on it would be simple to understand. Just use a couple sprays, but with information like 0 calories it would be like telling someone to eat just one potato chip. I decided to contact ConAgra (owner of the Parkay brand) regarding the contents and here is what they confirmed.

March 24, 2005

Thank you for contacting us. The Parkay Spray was developed
to give you the buttery taste of real butter without the fat
and calories.  There are .8 calories in 1 spray and 40 calories
in 5 sprays.  Fat content is .085grams in 1 spray, .4 grams
in 5 sprays. We appreciate your interest in Parkay.

ConAgra Foods Consumer Affairs

050469237A

That means that in the entire bottle there are 832 total calories from 93 grams of fat. Now you may be wondering why it is they can list it as 0 calories. Phil Kaplan, who runs PhilKaplan.com, has the answer.

The FDA labeling law says that if there’s less than 1/2 gram of fat in a serving, a food can be labeled “Fat-Free.” The catch is, nobody regulates what the food companies refer to as a serving size.

Well that’s just stupid… I’ve never used ONE spray.

“Once again, we run afoul of labeling loopholes. Yes, in the serving size listed on the package ( 1 – 5 sprays) the product is legally zero. But, it is not actually zero in any quantity.

In fact, Parkay Spray has .8 calories in 1 spray and 4 calories in 5 sprays. Fat content is .085 grams in 1 spray, .4 grams in 5 sprays. That means that in the entire bottle there are 832 total calories from 93 grams of fat. ”

I guess the ideal situation for the food and beverage industry would be to set the serving size on every product so small it could be considered ‘fat-free.’ Fortunately this tactic has been receiving increased scrutiny over the past couple of years most often with soft drinks and snack foods.

I do agree that this is a good product, in fact I have two bottles in my refrigerator. The problem with this labeling occurs when a person does not realize there are ‘hidden’ calories and decides to use it in a manner inconsistent with a ‘few sprays,’ such as with baking. What is thought of as a 0 calorie replacement for butter in your dishes is simply substituting one fat for the other.

I hope you have found this article educational and should you choose to try or continue using one of these products, you can do so a little smarter. For a decent list of products you can choose from in this category I recommend the following page: Better than Butter.

Until later….