I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
Encyclopedia
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! is a butter
substitute produced by Becel
/Flora/Promise, which is a subsidiary of Unilever
. It was introduced to the United States
in 1986 and later to the United Kingdom
and Canada
in 1991. The product was put on the market in Germany in 2011. Due to the length of its name, it is shortened internally in Unilever as IcBin. Advertisements featuring the product often end with the question, "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, can you?"
ingredients for the current Original Spread variety are:
The basic British
formulation is:
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
substitute produced by Becel
Becel
Becel is a brand of margarine produced by Unilever and sold in a number of countries, including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, and Turkey...
/Flora/Promise, which is a subsidiary of Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
. It was introduced to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1986 and later to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1991. The product was put on the market in Germany in 2011. Due to the length of its name, it is shortened internally in Unilever as IcBin. Advertisements featuring the product often end with the question, "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, can you?"
Nutritional information
The U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ingredients for the current Original Spread variety are:
- Vegetable Oil Blend (Liquid Soybean OilSoybean oilSoybean oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean . It is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils. As a drying oil, processed soybean oil is also used as a base for printing inks and oil paints...
, Non-HydrogenatedHydrogenationHydrogenation, to treat with hydrogen, also a form of chemical reduction, is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organic compounds. Hydrogenation typically...
Soybean Oil, Liquid CanolaCanolaCanola refers to a cultivar of either Rapeseed or Field Mustard . Its seeds are used to produce edible oil suitable for consumption by humans and livestock. The oil is also suitable for use as biodiesel.Originally, Canola was bred naturally from rapeseed in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur R...
Oil) - WaterWaterWater is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
- Natural Sweet Cream ButtermilkButtermilkButtermilk refers to a number of dairy drinks. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks, common in warm climates where unrefrigerated fresh milk otherwise sours quickly...
- SaltSaltIn chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
- Natural SoySoybeanThe soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
LecithinLecithinLecithin is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids .The word lecithin was originally coined in 1847 by... - Vegetable MonoMonoglycerideA monoglyceride, more correctly known as a monoacylglycerol, is a glyceride consisting of one fatty acid chain covalently bonded to a glycerol molecule through an ester linkage....
and DiglycerideDiglycerideA diglyceride, or a diacylglycerol , is a glyceride consisting of two fatty acid chains covalently bonded to a glycerol molecule through ester linkages....
s - (Potassium SorbatePotassium sorbatePotassium sorbate is the potassium salt of sorbic acid, chemical formula C6H7KO2. Its primary use is as a food preservative . Potassium sorbate is effective in a variety of applications including food, wine, and personal care products....
, Calcium Disodium EDTAEDTAEthylenediaminetetraacetic acid, widely abbreviated as EDTA , is a polyamino carboxylic acid and a colourless, water-soluble solid. Its conjugate base is named ethylenediaminetetraacetate. It is widely used to dissolve limescale. Its usefulness arises because of its role as a hexadentate ligand...
) Used to Protect Quality - Citric AcidCitric acidCitric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Vitamin A (Palmitate)Retinyl palmitateRetinyl palmitate, or vitamin A palmitate, is the ester of retinol and palmitic acid, with formula C36H60O2.Palmitate is the major component of palm oil...
- Beta CaroteneBeta-caroteneβ-Carotene is a strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits. It is an organic compound and chemically is classified as a hydrocarbon and specifically as a terpenoid , reflecting its derivation from isoprene units...
(For ColorFood coloringFood coloring is a substance, liquid or powder, that is added to food or drink to change its color. Food coloring is used both in commercial food production and in domestic cooking...
)
The basic British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
formulation is:
- Vegetable Oils
- Buttermilk (5%)
- Water
- Salt (1.5%)
- Emulsifiers: Mono- and Di-Glycerides of Fatty AcidsFatty acidIn chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...
- SunflowerSunflowerSunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
Lecithin - PreservativePreservativeA preservative is a naturally occurring or synthetically produced substance that is added to products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, paints, biological samples, wood, etc. to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirable chemical changes....
: Potassium Sorbate - Vitamin EVitamin EVitamin E is used to refer to a group of fat-soluble compounds that include both tocopherols and tocotrienols. There are many different forms of vitamin E, of which γ-tocopherol is the most common in the North American diet. γ-Tocopherol can be found in corn oil, soybean oil, margarine and dressings...
- Citric Acid
- Flavouring
- Colour: Beta-Carotene
- Vitamins AVitamin AVitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
& DVitamin DVitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids. In humans, vitamin D is unique both because it functions as a prohormone and because the body can synthesize it when sun exposure is adequate ....
.
Imitation
The trademarked butter imitation has itself spawned numerous imitators, including:- "Butter It's Not!", a KrogerKrogerThe Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
and Fred MeyerFred MeyerFred Meyer, Inc., is a chain of hypermarkets founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, by Fred G. Meyer. The company was one of the pioneers of one-stop shopping, eventually combining a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, clothing store, shoe store, fine jewelers, home decor store, home...
brand - "Isn't It Butter?", a Food LionFood LionFood Lion LLC is an American grocery store company headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina that operates approximately 1,300 supermarkets in 11 Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states as well as Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia under the Food Lion, Harveys Supermarket, Bloom, Bottom Dollar...
brand - "What, Not Butter!", by Matthews Foods, which lost a trademark dispute with Unilever
- "Could it be Butter?", a Gold-n-Soft brand
- "You'd Butter Believe It", an AsdaAsdaAsda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
brand - "You'd Think It's Butter!", an H-E-BH-E-BHEB Grocery Company, LP is a privately held San Antonio, Texas-based supermarket chain with more than 315 stores throughout Texas and northern Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an upscale organic and fine foods retailer.H-E-B ranked No...
brand - "Unbelieveable This is not butter", a TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese brand - "Not Butter But Better", an IrishIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
brand - "Tastes Like Butter", an AldiALDIALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
brand - "Is it Butter?", a Spartan StoresSpartan StoresSpartan Stores Inc. is an American food distributor and grocery store chain headquartered in Byron Township, Michigan. The company distributes national and Spartan brand products to over 400 independent grocery stores in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.-History:...
brand - "Utterly Butterly", a Dairy CrestDairy CrestDairy Crest Group plc is a major dairy products company in the United Kingdom. Its brands include Cathedral City Cheddar cheese, Utterly Butterly, Vitalite, Clover, St Ivel and Frijj. The company delivers milk to around 1.1 million households via their milkmen...
brand - "Better By Far", a MorrisonsMorrisonsWm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
brand - "This is not Butter. It's Butterific!", an Albertson's brand
In popular culture
- In Two and a Half MenTwo and a Half MenTwo and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, Season 9; Episode 4 it's mentioned by Alan HarperAlan Harper (Two and a Half Men)Dr. Alan Jerome Harper, DC, is a fictional character from the CBS situation comedy Two and a Half Men. Jon Cryer has played the role since the series began in 2003; after being nominated for an Emmy Award for his depiction of the character in 2006, 2007, and 2008, Cryer received an Emmy in 2009 for...
, referring to Walden Schmidt & Courtney having sex. - In the ""The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" episode "The Science Fair Affair", Jimmy invents a machine for the science fair called I Can't Believe It's Not Oil!.
- The Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
episode "Animals" begins with over a minute of Alice explaining a complicated conspiracy theory in which I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and a knockoff brand are both lying, "and, in fact, there's a lot more butter around than we all thought there was." - In The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Secrets of a Successful MarriageSecrets of a Successful Marriage"Secrets of a Successful Marriage" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 19, 1994. In the episode, Homer fears he may be a little slow, so he goes to the adult education center...
", when in his job interview to teach an adult educationAdult educationAdult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
class at the SpringfieldSpringfield (The Simpsons)Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
"Adult Education Annex", HomerHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
is asked if he has any skills, and says he has the ability to tell "The difference between butter, and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter", only for the interviewer to say he cannot and nor can anybody else. Also, in the episode "Little Girl in the Big TenLittle Girl in the Big Ten"Little Girl in the Big Ten" is the twentieth episode of The Simpsons’ thirteenth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 12, 2002. In the episode, after seeing John F. Kennedy in a hallucination during gym class, Lisa befriends two college students in order to...
", LisaLisa SimpsonLisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
watches the Itchy & Scratchy Show episode "Butter off Dead", in which Itchy milked Scratchy from a cow and process him into "I Can't Believe It's Not Scratchy!" butter. - An episode of The Mary Whitehouse ExperienceThe Mary Whitehouse ExperienceThe Mary Whitehouse Experience was a British topical sketch comedy show produced by the BBC in association with Spitting Image Productions. It starred two comedy double acts - David Baddiel and Rob Newman, and also Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, all of whom had graduated from Cambridge University...
suggested the presence of other similarly named convenience foods, such as "Surely these are Pineapple Chunks", "Oooh, but these must be Gravy Granules, aren't they?" and "Bollocks - this is custard powder and I'll deck anyone who says otherwise". - In the Everybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
episode "Everybody Hates Earth Day", Chris' uncle says that he helps the planet by using "I can't believe it's not margarine". - In the Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter", PeterPeter GriffinPeter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
mentions "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" twice, both after two Family Guy characters make a statement starting with "I can't believe...". - In The Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
episode "The Monopolar Expedition", Sheldon offers Leonard a cup of hot chocolate with a stick of butter in it. Leonard reminds Sheldon that he can't eat butter because of his lactose intolerance, but Sheldon says "I'm way ahead of you, that's an I Can't Believe It's Not Butter stick." In "The Lunar Excitation", Sheldon expresses no problem believing that it's not butter. - On one episode of Codename: Kids Next DoorCodename: Kids Next DoorCodename: Kids Next Door, also known as Kids Next Door or by its acronym KND, is an American animated television series created by Tom Warburton and produced by Curious Pictures in Santa Monica, California.. The series debuted on Cartoon Network on December 6, 2002 and aired its final episode on...
, Number 2 has two circle shaped melba toasts, topped up with a parody called "I Can't Believe It's Not Booger". - The rock band Bloodhound GangBloodhound GangBloodhound Gang is a Collegeville, Pennsylvania-based American comedy band, although it began as a rap group and gradually changed its genre throughout the years...
references the brand in the lyrics of "Hell Yeah": "I can't believe it's not butter, I'll sing as I'm flogged - yeah that's what I would do if I were God". - In the first season of Felicity as a running joke, Felicity Porter's roommate Meghan Rotundi talks in several episodes about how "it tastes so much like real butter."
- In Tim Rickard's comic strip, Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!, Agent X developes a human substitute for a tribe of man-eating aliens: I Can't Believe It's Not Humans.
- On an episode of Late Night With Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, Fabio LanzoniFabio LanzoniFabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s....
, one-time endorser of the product, participated in a sketch in which he revealed a celebrity "secret", whereby when first endorsing the product, he pointed out that the name contains a double negative and should be called "I Believe It's Butter". - A common Chuck NorrisChuck NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
joke states that 'Chuck Norris, can, in fact, believe it is not butter.' - Voice actor and musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Snazin Smith recorded a tribute to I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on his 2006 album Hot to Trot. - On the "Lunchtime" episode from the Plants vs. ZombiesPlants vs. ZombiesPlants vs. Zombies is a tower defense action video game developed and originally published by PopCap Games for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The game involves a homeowner using many varieties of plants to repel an army of zombies from "eating their brains". It was first released on May 5, 2009,...
series "Zombie Temp Worker", the Zombie grabs a bucket that says "I can't believe it's not brains".