New Survey Finds Americans' Love Affair with Toast is Heating Up

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans like to have it at least once a week - and in many different ways. Toast, that is. Whether served topped with spread or as a complement to fruit or eggs, a new survey sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® spread reveals that 70 percent of Americans eat toast regularly for breakfast.(1) In fact, the majority of respondents favored toast over other popular food trends. Additional findings included:

Toast is a Trend that Will Last – While food fads come and go, more than half of Americans would like to see the toast trend stick around.

Grains Reign – The survey revealed that no matter what region we are from, Northeast, South Midwest and West – Americans prefer whole grain bread as their top choice over white, nut, cinnamon and seeded varieties when it comes to making their morning toast.

It's All About the Crunch – Achieving just the right amount of crunch is key when it comes to toast preparation preferences, for example:

• 76 percent of Americans prefer their toast slightly crunchy and golden brown;
• 13 percent favor their toast slightly soft and barely browned;
• 11 percent let their toast linger in the toaster with a preference for crunchy and dark brown.

Capitalizing on Americans' love of this food trend, award-winning culinary chef, Kristina Vanni created a number of seasonal spreads to help toast enthusiasts take their favorite breakfast to the next level.

Chef Vanni said, "This is the perfect time of year to experiment with local ingredients straight from the farmer's market so I've developed several new recipes, such as The Summer Citrus Spread and The Farmer's Market Spread made with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! to take toast from ordinary to extraordinary."  

Chef Vanni's Summer Citrus Spread incorporates oranges, walnuts, honey and a dash of sea salt and offers vibrant, tangy and sweet flavors. For a more savory take on toast, The Farmer's Market Spread is prepared with cucumber, red radishes, parsley, chives, salt and pepper.  

"We were pleased to confirm that Americans believe toast truly is a simple pleasure," said Barry Sands, Senior Brand Manager for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!. "Women enjoy toast for breakfast because it's easy and convenient for those busy mornings – and with Chef Vanni's I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! spread recipes, breakfast becomes even more enjoyable."

A recent taste test found that four out of five butter users agree that I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Original spread tastes just as good as fresh butter. (2) With I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, you can have it all since it contains 70 percent less saturated fat and 30 percent fewer calories than butter and zero grams trans fat per serving. (3)

Kristina Vanni's exclusive recipes can be found below and full nutrition facts can be viewed on www.icantbelieveitsnotbutter.com.  You can view video featuring Vanni's recipes by visiting the video tab on www.facebook.com/icantbelieveitsnotbutterusa.

Summer Citrus Spread
1 tub (15 oz.) I Can't Believe It's Not Butter® Original spread
2 oranges
2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1-2 Tbsp.  finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

Add I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread to large bowl. Grate the rind of both oranges and place in large bowl. Slice oranges in 1/2, remove segments, then chop; drain. Stir into bowl. Stir in honey, sea salt and walnuts. Place in serving bowl or butter crock.

Garnish, if desired, with additional chopped walnuts and orange slice or curl. Serve citrus spread with English muffins or desired bread.

Farmer's Market Spread
1 tub  (15 oz.)I Can't Believe It's Not Butter® Original spread
1/2 cup seeded, shredded, unpeeled cucumber, squeezed dry
1/2 cup shredded red radishes, squeezed dry
2 Tbsp. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Spoon into butter crock or small serving bowl. Garnish, if desired, with additional chives and radishes. Serve on baguette slice or desired bread.

TIP: Measure cucumber and radishes after they have been well-squeezed of moisture.

Unilever Soft Spreads

Unilever manufactures soft tub spreads under the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!®, Shedd's Spread Country Crock®, Brummel & Brown®, Promise®, Promise activ®, and Imperial® brand names.  Most soft spreads are made with a blend of nutritious vegetable oils including soybean and canola, and contain 70% less saturated fat than butter, have no cholesterol, and are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, with many providing excellent sources of Omega-3 ALA.  All Unilever soft (tub) spreads have 2 grams or less of saturated fat per serving (between 5 and 8 grams of total fat per serving), and with this formulation change, will contain no hydrogenated oils and no trans fat per serving.

About Unilever North America

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 180.  With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.  In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, fds, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, OMO, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Ragu, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemme, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2010.  For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com, www.unilever.ca, or www.unilevercaribbean.com.

(1) According to a survey conducted by Toluna on behalf of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!

(2) According to a recent taste test

(3)I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Original 58% vegetable oil spread contains 8g fat (2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat) and 70 calories per serving, whereas butter contains 11g fat (7g saturated fat) and 100 calories per serving

SOURCE Unilever North America