Butter Prices

I had a shock last week. Was going to buy LandOLakes unsalted butter at my local Piggly Wiggly and it was $4.05/pound. This is the second time it has went up in as many months. Even the Piggly Wiggly brand of salted butter was $4.00. I asked the lady at the service desk but she didn't know the answer. So I decided to e-mail LandOLakes last Friday morning and they responded Friday afternoon (I was pleased with their quick response) Here's their response:

Thank you for visiting the Land O'Lakes website. We appreciate your comments regarding the price of butter and you can be assured that they will be forwarded to the appropriate staff members.

Part of the reason for the increase in price is that butter consumption in America is up 4% this year, while butter manufacturing capacity nationwide actually has dropped in recent years. There's also been an increased demand for other dairy products that use large amounts of butterfat (e.g. ice cream, cheese), which is currently in short supply.

To give you a little background on how food products are priced, the wholesale price of food products can fluctuate due to increases or decreases in the price of our ingredients. These changes are reflected in our wholesale price. The retail prices of Land O'Lakes food products are set by retail stores and are not controlled by us. Prices may fluctuate due to temporary price specials run by a store. Hope this information is helpful.

At Land O' Lakes, we strive to produce the best butter and offer it to you at the best price possible. If you would like to e-mail us your home address we would be happy to send you some money saving coupons for your next purchase. We value your patronage and hope you will continue to use Land O'Lakes products. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.

Sincerely,
Land O'Lakes Consumer Affairs