Country Crock is a company that offers you the ability to get the great taste of dairy butter and whipping cream without the need for any dairy. It is made with plant-based ingredients, and proudly 100% dairy free.
They sell both plant butter and plant cream which can be used in cooking and baking. It is known as plant butter and for vegans, this sounds awesome! Right?
Image By Country Crock
Hold on! Just because it is dairy-free and plant-based does not mean it is 100% vegan, does it? We all know how this goes, there are many products out there that seem vegan, but are not necessarily vegan!
Fortunately, I am all too familiar with this and decided to take a little look into Country Crock, so that I have done the hard work and you do not have to. So, it is time to answer the question, is Country Crock actually vegan?
Is Country Crock Vegan?
Country Crock states that their Plant Cream is made using plant-based oils, which ensures that it is actually 100% vegan. This means that this product does not actually contain any products that are animal-based or are derived from animals.
This is good news, but does this stand for all Country Crock products?
There are a lot of controversies here. When they started up they made butter and cheese, using ingredients as you would expect, however, only 3 years ago did they decide to start changing their image.
They didn’t alter their original products but added plant-based ones to cater to health-conscious people. Some people still doubt the validity of if they are vegan.
What Is Country Crock Butter Made Of?
The plant butter offered by country crock is made with palm, kernel, palm fruit, canola, and olive oils, as well as salt, water, sunflower lecithin, citric acid, pea protein, natural flavor, calcium disodium EDTA, beta carotene, and vitamin A palmitate.
This does not look to be too bad though does it? Well, aside from the palm oil. But… Why is everyone having trust issues with Country Crock?
Why Is Country Crock Plant Butter Not Vegan?
Well, they have several products, but not all are vegan-suitable. Their original products such as their original spread and light spread are not vegan suitable. This is because they contain vitamin D3, and this is because it comes from wool.
However, their vegan products are the ‘Plant Butters’, now they are vegan. They do not contain animal ingredients, however, they do contain lactic acid and palm oil, so this makes these products rather controversial.
Is Country Crock Margarine Vegan?
If you are referring to the spreads, their spreads are not vegan. Only the Country Crock plant butters are vegan. Their original spreads are not vegan as they do contain dairy products. This includes:
- Original Spread.
- Churn Style Spread.
- Salted Baking Sticks.
- Light Spread.
- Calcium 8% Daily Value.
- Unsalted Baking Sticks.
Is Country Crock Plant Butter With Olive Oil Vegan?
Country Crocks Plant Butter With Olive Oil is considered to be vegan, however, due to the inclusion of palm oil in their ingredients, there is a lot of controversy around it. At a surface level, yes it is vegan as it doesn’t contain animal products, but if you wish to imbibe it, is up to you.
Is Country Crock Plant Butter Healthy?
A lot of Country Crock ingredients are not all that different from some other light butters. Although, their plant range is better. Their fats are better for you than in dairy product butters. They are made with plant oils which are better for you.
You do get more Omega 3 from plant-based fats, however, I cannot say that it is ‘healthy’ altogether, as it does still contain fat and quite a bit of sodium as well.
It is probably better for you than many other butters, especially dairy butters, but it is hardly ‘healthy’. It is just ‘healthier’.
What Is In Country Crock Plant Butter?
Here are the ingredients of one of the most popular of Country Crocks plant butters, the Country Crock Plant Butter with Avocado oil.
- Plant oil blend (Soybean, avocado, palm fruit oil, palm kernel).
- Water.
- Natural flavor.
- Faba bean protein.
- Lactic acid.
- Soy lecithin.
- Calcium disodium edta.
- Beta carotene.
- Salt.
- Vitamin e acetate.
- Vitamin A palmitate.
The palm oil and lactic acid are controversial ingredients in this butter, so while some vegans will feel okay having this plant-based butter, others are a bit skeptical about it.
FAQs:
It is a complex topic, plant-based butter. Is it okay to eat or not? With no animal products in it, but controversial ingredients it is hard to say if it is okay or not. So, let’s look into it some more.
Is Original Country Crock Vegan?
Original Country Crock is not vegan. These products are still dairy based. Only their Plant Butters are vegan. So, you need to be careful when looking at Country Crocks products, only ever purchase their plant butter products.
Is Country Crock Calcium Vegan?
Country Crock Calcium is free from dairy and lactose ingredients, however, it was not tested in production to be dairy free, therefore it is a risk to ingest it as a vegan.
I would stay away from it and stick to their plant butters if I were you.
Is Country Crock Dairy-Free?
Some of Country Crocks products are dairy free, however not all of them are. Some are stated as being dairy free but are not testing confirmed dairy free.
Is Country Crock Gluten-Free?
None of Country Crock’s products are listed as containing any gluten. All their products are listed and tested as gluten-free. So, while not all their products are confirmed vegan, they are gluten-free at least.
Summary:
Some vegans do consume the plant country crock butters, as they are simply not that bothered by palm oil. However, we all know how bad palm oil is for the environment. So, it’s up to you if you want to consume the plant version of country crock butter and cream.
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