Unilever U.S. is transforming its current buttery spreads portfolio, beginning with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!®, into new recipes made with real, simple ingredients like a blend of plant-based oils, purified water and a pinch of salt — and no artificial preservatives. The transformation of the spreads portfolio is part of Unilever's commitment to deliver balanced foods made from real, simple ingredients, while continuously improving nutritional profiles and advancing sustainable sourcing. 

"This is a groundbreaking innovation for Unilever's U.S. Foods division, driven by our mission to deliver great-tasting and sustainable food to America," said Mike Faherty, Vice President, Unilever Foods, North America. "The new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® is the start of a complete category transformation that will help us grow the buttery spreads business. It is also consistent with the types of innovation you can continue to expect from our Unilever foods brands."

In addition to the new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® products launching November 2014, the transformation will continue across other Unilever buttery spreads brands, including Country Crock®, Brummel & Brown® and Imperial® in 2015.

The new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® offers delicious fresh butter taste with no artificial preservatives. It is available in Original, Light and Olive Oil varieties, and is the first spread from Unilever in the U.S. to be made with non-GMO sourced ingredients. Like all Unilever buttery spreads, sticks and sprays, the new simple recipes contain 0g trans fat per serving, no cholesterol and no partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

"The new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® products provide a source of good fats – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – similar to those found in avocados, walnuts and almonds, and can be part of an overall healthy, balanced diet," said television personality Joy Bauer, MS, RDN, who is partnering with Unilever buttery spreads as part of a multi-channel program to communicate the nutritional benefits of good fats.

"They're also great in the kitchen. Whether spreading on whole-grain toast, topping corn on the cob, sauteing vegetables or baking fruity muffins, the new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® is extremely versatile," Bauer continued.

At Unilever, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) is our blueprint for sustainable business, spanning our entire portfolio of brands in all countries in which we sell our products. This portfolio transformation is driven by our USLP efforts and brings enhancements to sustainable business principles from seed to table, including:

A sustainable sourcing strategy, which is reflected in our goal to sustainably source 100% of the soybean oil across our spreads portfolio by 2017. We are also loyal to American farms and farmers, sourcing 100% of our soybeans domestically.

A newly renovated facility in New Century, Kansas, which currently sends "zero waste" to landfill, with a commitment to be 100% powered by renewable energy by 2020.

Redesigned packaging, resulting in a new, rectangular shape that is more space-efficient in the refrigerator, dishwasher safe (top rack only), reusable and recyclable where facilities exist. Following the entire portfolio transformation, the redesign will eliminate about 552,000 pounds of plastic from the waste stream per year. This is roughly the weight of Air Force One.