NOTE: This post was one of the first posts shared on Live Simply, making this blogpost over 5 years-old. I still love and purchase Kerrygold butter for my family. That said, I still stand behind the words shared in this post. I welcome comments on this post; however, comments that are rude (a direct insult to me, name calling, or written in a nasty way) will not be approved. Differing opinions are always welcome, rude and insulting comments are not welcome.
I guess I have developed a reputation.
A reputation for loving good high-quality, pastured butter.
Rich, yellow, creamy, delicious butter.
Last week several of my friends sent me, with great concern, a post titled, “Why I Stopped Buying Kerrygold Butter” by hopecentric It is a very well-written post and worth a read. Her two main reasons for no longer buying Kerrygold are:
It’s not 100% grass fed. It is almost 90% grass fed, and supplemented with feed that includes soy and corn.
It’s actually only 97% GM free.
After reading the post, my first reaction was “What?”
“What am I going to do with the pounds of Kerrygold Butter in my freezer? Not 100% grass-fed?”
The writer also suggests several alternatives, such Organic Valley and Natural by Nature as well as a few other brands I haven’t found to be locally available.
I decided to do some investigating!
I was curious!
I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight before calling it quits with my Kerrygold obsession.
If I were to make the switch to a different butter, as the writer suggests, I would be spending double even triple per pound vs. what I am paying for Kerrygold at Costco. I wanted to make sure the higher price of these butters really meant I was getting a better, grass-fed product, free of as many GMO’s as possible.
I realize buying straight from a local farm is always best! For some this may not be an option. For me it is.
I am able to purchase 1/2lb tubs of butter through my raw milk farmer. I make it a priority in our family’s food budget to purchase raw milk, raw cream, raw sour cream, and raw cottage cheese from this farm. I love supporting a local farm and feel good about how the farm cares for the cows and their pastured lifestyle. There are many times the machine which the farm uses to churn butter simply isn’t working which means no butter. I know, people will write and say,
“Buy the cream and make your own!”
I have done this many times and often when cream is available I purchase it for this reason. But there are times when I just need the convenience of pre-made butter. At $5 for a 1/2lb of butter I can’t afford to purchase lots of this butter.
It’s a special treat!
That’s where Kerrygold comes to the rescue.
At $6.50 for 3 sticks of butter at Costco, I can feed my family pastured butter without Dustin needing an extra job just to support our butter habit.
I’ll admit, I’ve lost some sleep over the issue of butter this week.
It’s probably not too healthy to loose sleep over butter!
Let’s consider a few things:
1. 90% Grass-Fed: According to Kerrgold,
Approximately 2/3 of the land in Ireland is used for farming and agriculture and 80% of this land is used to grow grass. This grass gives the Irish countryside its green color and is the basis for the description of Ireland as the Emerald Isle. This abundant supply of natural fresh grass is also what makes the Irish dairy industry and Irish dairy products unique.
Irish dairy cows graze on fresh grass in pastures all day long for up to 312 days a year. In fact, Irish cows graze outdoors on grass for longer than almost every country in the world.
I’m not a math wiz, but from my simple calculations this means the cows are supplemented (not consuming grass) only 44 days a year.
I’d say that’s pretty awesome!
I know 365 days of pure pasture grazing would be pretty darn awesome, but let’s think about something…winter!
I’m a Floridian, however, I know enough about winter to know when snow falls grass is going to be scarce which means cows aren’t going to be grazing on grass. Hungry cows need to eat!
Regarding this issue Kerrygold states,
…like so much of what we do, our feeding pattern follows the cycle of nature. During the winter, when grasses stop growing, Irish cows are fed dried grass (known as silage). This grass is grown throughout the year, cut fresh and stored to be used when the winter comes. Cows in Ireland calve in the spring and are therefore outdoors, grazing on green grass when they are producing milk. After calving, cows are provided with supplementary feed to help restore protein and nurture them through this period.
After talking to several farmers here in the States, I am beginning to realize 100% grass-fed with zero supplementation is a nice idea, however, not realistic.
I’m not surprised or disappointed to learn Kerrygold cows are only 90% grass-fed. I am pleased to find affordable, good quality butter that is pastured for 312 days a year on fresh grass!
That’s a lot of grass eating!
2. Supplementing: When the cows are not grazing on fresh grass supplementation is needed. Kerrygold explains what this supplementation is comprised of,
Supplementary feed makes up about 10% of a cow’s diet. The supplementary feed is used to give the cows a healthy and balanced blend of nutrients, providing them with protein, energy and fiber. The majority of the cow’s supplementary feed is from locally grown Irish crops, such as wheat and barley. The balance of this feed can be composed of distillers grain (rapeseed, soy and citrus pulp – a blend of dried peel, pulp and seeds of oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruit).
3. The GMO Issue: The biggest alarm from the post is the issue of GMO’s. I went straight to Kerrygold:
Our ongoing discussions with the grain and dairy industry have established that of this approximately 10% grain/supplements, approximately 20 to 25% may be from GM sources. This means that approximately 3% of a cow’s total typical annual diet may be from GM sources…
At present, the Irish Dairy Board cannot guarantee that grain supplements used by farmers will all be GM free…
We can confirm that Kerrygold butter and cheese do not contain GM ingredients.
Some have raised concern that even though Kerrygold’s butter may not contain GMO ingredients, the feed may.
I feel comfortable with Kerrygold disclosing that 3% of the annual feed their cows eat may contain GMO’s. Considering the fact that GMO’s are fairly new to Europe and most of the supplementation is coming from local sources of wheat and barely along with possibly corn and soy, I feel confident in this very small percentage.
Our family just recently adopted two laying hens, because of this I also have a great appreciation for how difficult it is to find guaranteed GMO-free feed and the great cost involved in using such feed is amazingly high.
I congratulate Kerrygold for being able to keep this percentage so low.
Bravo!
4. Kerrygold butter comes from fresh Spring cream/milk:
Cows in Ireland calve in the spring and are therefore outdoors, grazing on green grass when they are producing milk.
The cream/milk produced to make butter comes from cows that are grazing on pasture. Cream is not produced and churned into butter during the winter when the cows are being supplemented.
5. Consider the Alternatives: I personally choose not to purchase butter (or meat) based on the organic label alone.
Organic does not equal grass-fed.
Many organic brands of butter, cheese, milk, and meats are nothing more than glorified corn-fed cows, simply free of antibiotics and hormones. Although these products may be GMO-free (organic), the diets of such animals are far from normal or healthy.
I decided to look into a couple other sources for butter.
Pastured, grass-fed sources.
The first, Organic Valley. I spoke to Organic Valley over the phone. I was told the milk/cream used for their line of Pastured Butter is not 100% grass-fed. Just like Kerrygold, Organic Valley supplements with grains including corn and soy. Although they didn’t disclose how much supplementation occurs, they do use GMO-free corn and soy. The representative also confirmed that 100% grass-fed was far from reality for the majority of farmers.
The second source was my local raw dairy farm. Again, I found supplementation to be a small part of the cows diet when needed. The farm also recently switched over to a new organic and GMO-free feed which also drove the cost of the dairy much higher.
Dustin may need to start looking for that extra job now.
To Buy or Not:
After a week of pondering and researching (and loosing sleep) I have decided I will continue to buy Kerrygold.
I feel it’s important to continue to support a company that strives to feed their cows grass, a practice which is not widely practiced today.
While I will pick up a 1/2lb tub of butter from my local farm and stock up on Organic Valley Pastured Butter when on sale, I will continue to confidently buy pounds of the creamy, yellow grass-fed Irish Butter I love so much.
Kerrygold.
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Thank you for taking the time to get some answers! I’m not near any farms and I will definitely be sticking with Kerry Gold! (Can’t get Organic Valley butter here either!) I’ve subscribed to your blog!
Thank you so much! So glad to have you at Live Simply!
This may be a really dumb question, but why does your raw butter label state, “Not for human consumption?”
Raw dairy is illegal in many states. Florida decided to mark raw dairy as for “pet consumption” or “not for human consumption”. This allows farmers to sell it legally, just under the idea people are not consuming it. Raw dairy is considered “dangerous” by many in big government. You can read more here: https://livesimply.me/index.php/category/real-food/investigations/
where does one purchase Kerrygold. I got the understanding that Costco carries it???
Costco is the least expensive place to purchase it. Sam’s Club also carries Kerrygold in tubs. Most large grocery stores or health food stores sell it as well.
It’s cheaper at Trader Joe’s around here than at Costco. As with everything else, you need to check your local prices.
Absolutely. We don’t have a Trader Joes. Checking around is always best.
Feel free not to publish this comment. I love the article and you will be featured on natural living Monday IF you link back! I know you linked back to a bunch of other blogs, and am sure it was just an oversight. It happens to me too. Please link back so I can feature your great post! Thanks for doing this great research.
Thanks so much. Sorry for the oversight :). I linked back I believe now.
I contacted the Natural by Nature a few years ago inquiring about their grass-fed cow milk products and was given the reply: “The cows are allowed to graze all year long, but in the winter since the grass in not as plentiful their diets must be supplemented so that they maintain a healthy body weight. In the winter their diets are supplemented with organic hay, haylage and a small amount of organic grain.”
Thank you. I have bought their sour cream before and milk for making yogurt. Thanks for the great info.
Sorry you lost sleep over it! I read that blog and decided instantly that nothing is perfect, and 90% perfect was about as perfect as it was going to get! Local is great, but the local raw dairy farms supplement lots more than Kerrygold does, and charge a lot more than Costco does.
I agree we have to chose the lesser of evils in our complicated food system. My own personal choice when it comes to dairy and meat products is that I aim to avoid GMOs 100%, especially after watching the documentary The World According To Monsanto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6_DbVdVo-k which I highly recommend watching – it’s not just for health reasons but for the environmental impacts: GMO corn production uses neonicotinoid pesticides which are killing off our bees, and superweeds are now resistant to Round-Up herbicide which means biotech companies are now bringing more toxic lines of pesticide-resistant GMOs: dicamba-resistant soybeans and Agent Orange-resistant corn, I wrote about this here: http://kitchenvignettes.blogspot.com/2012/07/sweet-corn-chowder.html
It would be nice if Kerrygold would agree to go GMO-free. I think with enough consumer pressure, this could happen. In fact I’m sending them an email right now! 🙂
Thanks I will check it out. I agree the environmental impact is not a good thing. I also wrote them thanking them for keeping the percentage so low and also asking them to consider sourcing non-GMO corn. I know it’s hard. I only have 4 chickens and find it hard, if not impossible, to source feed like this. For now, other than my local farm (which just stopped using a GMO feed for supplementation and the prices skyrocketed which I am okay with but not everyone can afford the huge price tag now) Kerrygold is my best option. Btw, beautiful blog! Can’t wait to try a few of your recipes! 🙂
It’s so funny you wrote about this as I have wondered many times before if I should buy Kerrygold or not! Thanks for the very thorough research 🙂
Thanks. I have been very curious too! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks for the well-thought out post! I admire your effort to research so thoroughly to make informed decisions for your family.
Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday!
It’s like the 80/20 rule for cows, or 90/10 or 97/3! I love this article!! Thank you, thank you,
Trader Joe’s carries organic butter even cheaper than their Kerry Gold. It doesn’t claim to be grass fed, but it looks (and rumor has it that it is) Organic Valley butter. Organic Valley gets it’s milk regionally, and in my Northern California region the dairies listed with OV all have pastured herds. So I feel pretty confident that I’m buying grass fed butter (and, it seems to be a deeper yellow, in the spring–that makes sense!).
Our family did a side-by-side taste test between TJ’s Kerry Gold and TJ’s Organic butter and we liked the TJ’s brand better. It tasted fresher. Kerry Gold has to travel a long way. I like KG, but budget-wise we are buying the TJ’s brand instead with no regrets.
It only stands to reason that there has to be some grain in the feed–in places like Minnesota, there’s no grass all winter. Here in California they can pasture year round, but the grass is dry and brown all summer and I’m sure some supplementation is required.
Thank you!!!
This is great information, Kristin, Thank you for the careful and thoughtful research.
Well written! I missed the controversy! When DH first requested that we buy Kerrygold, I didn’t really want to. I was kind of blinded by the organic label and thought the expense was high enough! But then I tried the butter and it was like comparing local free range eggs to regular eggs. There really is no comparison.
You’ve written a truly wonderful and informative article on the subject matter. THANK YOU for doing the research and providing us with your findings. I, too, will continue using Kerry Gold, with my decision being based solely on your awesome research! 🙂
Now… I read an article about white vinegar.. that apparently it’s VERY difficult to get organic white vinegar for some reason.. Which makes me scared to try to make pickles this year using regular white vinegar. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?
THanks again!!
~Wendy
Wendy, I’m sure Kristin can provide a more insightful answer, but I happened to come back to her post and saw you question so I’ll toss out my 2 cents. 😉 White distilled vinegar is made from corn and 88% of corn is GMO. To be certified organic, ingredients cannot be GM… see the rabbit trail unfolding? 🙂
Thank you Wendy. I truthfully, don’t use much white vinegar so I’m not much of an expert on the vinegar matter. Sounds like Tiffany knows a bit more on the subject 🙂
Thank you for all your research! Awesome!
Thank you! I love the balance. I buy kerrygold and organic pastures. I have made my own butter but I don’t always have a source for cream.
You should be able to purchase cream from the farmer supplying you with the milk! Cream is “made” as such from the milk when it settles, the cream can be scraped off the top, and the milk will be more liquid at the bottom.
Thank you for researching this and sharing. I already spend $8 for 1/2 gallon of grassfed raw milk. My farmer charges $20 for 1/2 lb of grassfed raw butter. I’ll stick with the Kerrygold as the best I can afford…and it tastes really good.
Thank you for all of your research! It is greatly appreciated! Do you know how the cows themselves are treated? Again, thank you!
Hey Caren, I don’t know, that would be a good question to ask Kerrygold.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I read the same post last week and while it was well written, I thought she jumped the gun a bit too soon. It really is difficult for any farmer to truly achieve 100% grass-fed. They can’t control the weather, sickness, injury or even the possibility of malnutrition. 90% grass-fed is FAR better than what any butter on my local store shelves can provide, and I don’t have the availability of locally sourced butter. I firmly believe that 90% grass-fed provides WAY more nutrients that 100% organic feed ever will. A 3% chance of GMO feed per year is so small when we consider the quantity of butter they produce vs. the quantity of butter we consume (well, some of us do eat more than others 😉 ). That same percentage could apply to just about anything we eat. We can try, try, try all we want, but sometimes there are factors beyond our control.
Sorry for the long comment, lol. Thanks for breaking it down so well for everyone. 🙂 I’ll be sharing this one with my readers for sure.
Thanks for doing this research!
Love Kerrygold butter but I do think it’s quite salty. I don’t know where to find the unsalted version because Costco does not seem to carry it in Kentucky?????
Hey Janlyn, I think you should be able to find unsalted in most grocery stores and even Target and Walmart.
Great information, thanks for all the time consuming research.
Hello, does anyone know the type of salt Kerrygold uses in their salted butter block? I recently bought four blocks because they were on sale (I usually buy the silver, unsalted one) and am questioning the salt used. Thanks
Hey Jonathan, Good question, I’m not sure. I wonder if the company could shed some light on this question. Maybe give them a call and see if they have some answers? Maybe someone else around here knows something about the salt.