Country Crock
 | |
| Industry | Food |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1945 |
| Products | Margarine, spreads, side dishes, mashed potatoes, pasta |
| Owner | Upfield |
Country Crock is a food brand owned by Upfield. It originally sold spreads such as margarine (and cheese for a limited time), but later extended to side dishes, particularly mashed potatoes and pasta, made by Hormel under license.
The original Shedd's brand was a product of Shedd-Bartush Foods based in Detroit. It made and marketed margarine (beginning in 1945)[1] and Shedd's peanut butter as well as salad dressing and prune juice.[2] It merged in 1959 with Beatrice Foods[3] before they sold the Shedd's business to Unilever in 1984 following Beatrice's merger with Esmark. The peanut butter business was sold to Algood Food Company.[4]
During the 1980s and 1990s, a series of commercials for the brand's margarine featured a married couple sitting at their dinner table while talking about the spread, with only their hands ever being seen. The voice of the wife was provided by Casey DeFranco while the husband's voice was provided by actor Jack Riley, who is best known for playing Elliot Carlin on The Bob Newhart Show.
As of July 2015, Shedd's Country Crock changed the recipe to remove preservatives and artificial flavors.
In 2022, Country Crock was the subject of a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company misleads consumers with its labeling and advertising.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "History of Soy Oil Margarine – Page 2". Soyinfocenter.com. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Detroit Free Press from , on September 19, 1982 · Page 265". Newspapers.com. September 19, 1982. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Tribune – Historical Newspapers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Algood Food moving to Riverport from site near U of L". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Larson, Sarah (September 4, 2023). "The Lies in Your Grocery Store". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X.