Fleischmann’s Original Margarine
After reading this comment, I decided to explore Kosherquest and discovered the following alert:
Fleischmann’s Original Margarine continues to be found with O/U parve on the outside box and O/Ud on the inside individual bars. The product is dairy.
I figured this would happen eventually, but it’s still upsetting.
I guess it’s time to start baking with Smart Balance. Too bad it’s only available salted, in tubs. (Why can’t I find Earth Balance sticks anywhere?)
UPDATE: Joe points out that Fleischmann’s Original Margarine is the salted variety, which has been dairy for as long as I can remember. Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine is still parve.
¶
Note: the unsalted Fleishmann’s sticks are still parve.
OH. I forgot that the “original” kind was salted. That was always dairy.
Where have you looked for Earth Balance?
I’ve only seen tubs of Earth Balance too.
I am honored to have had such an impact. :)
I guess I won’t delete the post, given the new comments.
I’ve looked for Earth Balance sticks in three Cambridge, MA stores: the Star Market on Beacon Street, the Whole Foods near Central Square, and Trader Joe’s. Have you found them anywhere, Jabbett?
Why are parve margarines so difficult to find?!
How does one bake or cook fleishig or parve without this product?
Sheri;)
I usually buy mine at Shaw’s on Commonwealth Ave. in Allston.
Pareveness is not the only advantage of Earth Balance over other margarines — it’s also free of trans fats. Fleischmann’s Unsalted sticks, however, still contain partially-hydrogenated soybean oil.
The New England Journal of Medicine recently recommended against consuming even trace amounts of partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils. This particular warning has especial significance, because products with a nutritional Trans Fats value of “0g” can still contain trace amounts. All of Fleischmann’s “Soft Spreads” take advantage of this governmental leniency. So, make sure to read the ingredients list.
Pareveness is not the only advantage of Earth Balance over other margarines — it’s also free of trans fats.
That’s why I was thinking of switching, even before I thought that Fleischmann’s Unsalted was going dairy. All that’s stopped me is the fact that the trans-fat free margarines generally come in such an inconvenient form for baking. Truth be told, though, I’m not too concerned. I only use margarine for parve cookies and brownies, which I bake about once a month. For other purposes I use olive or canola oil, or, for dairy, sometimes butter. Margarine just doesn’t taste good enough to make up for what it does to your body.
The other benefit is that both Earth and Smart Balance are products of good ol’ Brandeis!
i buy the smart balance sticks at whole foods in brighton- i think the shortening ones taste better in baked goods than the “butter” flavor, but they’re both available right here in town!
Apparently, I live near the lamest Star Market and Whole Foods in the Boston area. (Actually, I knew that.)
The Whole Foods in Brighton (on Washington Avenue) sells Earth Balance sticks.
I have found willow run(I think that is the name) at Shaw’s in their whole foods department–and it comes in sticks. I would even like to believe that there is something more healthy about it!
“The other benefit is that both Earth and Smart Balance are products of good ol’ Brandeis!”
Do purchases count toward our alumni dues?
Maybe if you make them with your Brandeis MBNA card…
You can go the the Smart Balance (Earth Balance) website and do a product search by your zip code. It will pull up stores near that zip code that sell that product. The search is in the bottom left corner. http://www.smartbalance.com