Outrageous price of butter.

glendhu, Mar 4, 12:21am
I bought quite a lot of butter a while ago when it was on special and froze it. Needed to stock up again so went to the Gore Countdown today. Plain pack butter, 500 gms, was $3. 89, Tararua was $5. 85 and Mainland $6. 29! I would be interested in finding out if it is any cheaper in other parts of the country.

245sam, Mar 4, 12:27am
glendhu, according to an e-mail I have re the Onecard Specials that are available from Today, 04 March through to Sunday, 07 March Anchor Butter is $2. 89 per 500g at "your local Countdown, Woolworths or Foodtown supermarket". :-))

glendhu, Mar 4, 12:31am
Yeah, I've just got that email too, thanks 245sam. And I have just realized that I went to Countdown for a few items and then round to New World which is where I saw the expensive butter prices.

cottagerose, Mar 4, 2:57am
I work in a retail shop and butter has gone up. Cheese is going to take a huge hike too so you might want to stock up.
Im guessing anything with butter and cheese in it will go up too! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

duckmoon, Mar 4, 4:02am
I only purchase it when it is on sale - so pay around $3-$3. 50 per 500g packet.
In Wgtn it does sell for $4-$5. 50 depending on the brand - hence buying in bulk when on sale.

earthangel4, Mar 4, 4:27am
yes I stock up when its on special, and put it in the freezer

jag5, Mar 4, 9:07pm
Need to stock up too. Bit of a bummer when you can't tolerate Anchor though. I am one of many, ( I am not alone) who finds Anchor products foul, they taste of being "off", rancid. Give me a cup of tea or coffee with Anchor milk, and I will know, believe me, and it is the same with butter. Can use it in baking, but never on a sammie.

We have a lifestyle block, and have 6 heifers in calf, so I may have to tame one to be my "House Cow" and make my own.

fruitluva2, Mar 4, 9:10pm
Weekend special at CD for anchor butter is 2. 89 I buy bright yellow butter, if its dark then they have been left out too long before they are placed in chiller.

vashti, Mar 4, 9:31pm
I have just been into Fresh Choice and two brands of 500g butter were over $7. 00. One on special just over $4. 00.

fruitluva2, Mar 4, 9:50pm
What is fresh choice? isn't that a brand of product?

CD weekend specials are now selling 2. 89 Anchor butter.

vashti, Mar 4, 10:09pm
Fresh Choice was an independent supermarket, but was bought out by one of the larger supermarkets a few years ago, I just forget which one now, they have kept the same name.
Lovely to shop in, good prices usually, plenty of room and nice check out ladies.

nemo9, Mar 4, 10:11pm
I noticed it today too. So bought Budget (have never done that before) but compared the ingredients to Anchor: water, salt cream. Same. And exactly the same breakdown of fat, carbs etc so whats the difference I wonder except for the uglier wrapping.

vinee, Mar 4, 10:19pm
Butter shouldn't have water in it. and certainly not the first ingrediant!
They need to wring it out some more!

bedazzledjewels, Mar 4, 10:27pm
Tararua brand only has cream and salt in ingredients. I agree Vinee - not going to pay for water!

shop-a-holic, Mar 5, 12:44am
I'm staggered at the price of butter this week. Picked up some pams brand at New World. Although its 400g, its only $2. 60. Made two lots of baking and it works fine. To make it live longer in wax paper, I wrap it in foil for the fridge at home. Lurpak prices are giving me a heart-attack.

uli, Mar 5, 12:47am
I think I have said here (for the last 7 years) that usually - once I do my Christmas cakes to give to others - I find that nearly 100ml of milk is in the 500g bar of "butter" once I melt it.

Obviously it is good to sell buttermilk at the butter price - however why nobody in this country is actually doing anything about this practice is beyond me ... .

Never mind the insufficient packaging which renders about 10 to 20% of the butter inedible - due to it being rancid.

Have any of you ever wondered what that ghastly tasting yellow stuff on the "outside" of the block of butter was? No? ... . ah well ...

uli, Mar 5, 12:59am
There is of course more to it than just the price.
Lurpak butter is most likely produced by stabled animals fed grains and maybe some grass in summer (5 months) plus if lucky some hay in winter.

Which means the butter is very high in Omega 6 fatty acids (due to the grains) and very low in Omega 3 fatty acids (due to low plant matter).

I will not discuss the science here - if you are interested google it.

So I personally am very keen to have butter from grass fed animals - which is basically ONLY NZ butter worldwide - and then you only want "organic butter" - cause I know too much as to what they spray onto the paddocks, the animals, drench them with etc (which is then all stored in the fat of the animals tissue plus the milk) ... .

But now look what Fonterra does to preserve the quality of this butter (nothing - wrap it into the cheapest paper wrappers - never mind it goes rancid) ... never mind they never even advertise the fact that our beef, lamb, butter, milk is actually the best in the world - from grass fed animals ...

And then Fonterra and other milk companies complain they have to "compete" with other countries ...

If any of the Fonterra managers would be interested in the subject they would be onto the grass fed Omega 3 bandwagon in a split second - however - they have no clue - and obviously no tertiary education - to even envisage a campaign along those lines ...

bedazzledjewels, Mar 5, 1:08am
Interesting points Uli. I had been thinking of getting some Lurpak too, but not after what you just said about cows being grain-fed.
So what brand do you buy?
Are there any 'boutique' butters around? It's amazing when you think how our cheese industry is now burgeoning.

ardente, Sep 30, 5:53pm
Anchor butter on weekend windback at Foodtown/Countdown/Woolworths for like $2. 79... . time to stock up!