I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray Is 0.45 Calories Per Spray

by David Greenwalt

I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (ICINBS) on occasion. There, I said it. Now that I got that off my chest, I'll share with you how I determined this "zero-calorie" butter substitute really provides 0.45 calories per spray (1 serving).

The label says the serving size is 1 spray (0.20g) and that 5 sprays is (1g). There are 1700 sprays per bottle. For either 1 or 5 sprays, the total calories listed are zero (0).

The Pour Problem

Years ago, before I took the time to think about it, I'd occasionally open the cap and pour some ICINBS into mashed potatoes. I'm not alone. Peruse the net, and you'll find stories from loads of people who do the same thing. The thinking is simple: if ICINBS has zero calories and I want a little more flavor, what's the harm? Pour away!

FDA Labeling Laws

The FDA states about ingredient lists:

"The ingredient list on a food label is the listing of each ingredient in descending order of predominance. Listing ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight means that the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last."

The first four ingredients of ICINBS are: Water, soybean oil, salt, and sweet cream buttermilk. Two of those four ingredients are fats (soybean oil and sweet cream buttermilk).

The Zero Calorie Mystery

The FDA requires that if a serving provides less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, the food producer SHOULD list the fat as 0 (zero). A one-spray serving of ICINBS is 0.20g total weight. Therefore, regardless of the amount of fat ICINBS provides, it's impossible for 0.20g of spray to provide more than 0.50g of fat.

The Real Numbers

After extensive research and reviewing a class-action lawsuit filed against Unilever in April 2013, here are the real numbers:

Each 340-gram container is about 24 percent fat by weight
One spray contains about 0.45 calories and 0.048 grams of fat
Five sprays contain about 2.27 calories and 0.24 grams of fat
The entire 340g bottle contains 771 calories

The Bottom Line

Don't pour this product on your foods. It is 24 percent fat by weight. The 340g bottle is 771 calories. Use a few sprays, and that's it.

As for the lawsuit? It was dismissed on July 9, 2013. Unilever was following FDA rules - they actually had no choice in how they labeled the product given current FDA regulations.