Another Woolworths 1/2 Price find. I have my buttered Dairy Blend Popcorn ready for comments about vegetable oil, additives and processed foods. Good price for those who do use margarine.
Dairy Free
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/288050/won…
Dairy Blend
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/290652/won…
The dairy free one makes sense to me for people with a cows milk allergy who aren’t necessarily vegan. Most margarines add vitamin A an D so it’s just marketing for the front of the pack.
Why bother? Maybe someone wants cheap margarine without having to buy in bulk.
The number of margarines containing dairy implies there's a sizeable market for it. It's what I used to eat before turning vegan (cheaper than real butter but the added dairy made it taste similar enough).
I agree it seems weird to specifically make a non-dairy blend without making it vegan (morse makes a good point about dairy allergies, but that seems like an unfeasibly small market for this), though I wouldn't be surprised if they're aiming to trick vegans into buying this. Since moving to Australia I've noticed many products that are advertised as if they're vegan despite containing animal products. Particularly when they're labelled "plant based".
I also think it’s aimed at kids same as the wonder range of bread, so even if it was vegan they may not think that messaging fits their brand. I can’t imagine vegan parents being into a product like this for their kid, so it’s not really their target market. It’s also surprising how many kids either have dairy allergies or their parents think they have a dairy allergy. Milk is one of the ones where you can gradually introduce it via the “milk ladder”, so there’s probably more kids that start with a cows milk allergy that don’t have it by adulthood.
A quick search said 2% are allergic. If they're only going to include two options in their product range, I still don't think that's the market they're going to go for!
And vegans aren't all health nuts… You could spend the entire day eating chips, biscuits, cakes and lollies if you wanted to (and I spend all day trying to resist the temptation to do just that!).
@callum9999: Yeah, only 2% are officially allergic, but as a mum with a 4yo I can tell you that at least 10% of people we know with young children avoid dairy, even in small amounts for non-vegan reasons. I don't know anyone raising their kids as vegan, but know lots who don't give their kids dairy, only one of those has a diagnosed allergy. I think some people just associate dairy with being unhealthy, quite possibly associated with the paleo movement, I suspect that's part of the marketing.
But yes, I probably have type cast vegans as healthy or being drawn to healthy products, when that's not essential.
@callum9999: Yeah, I specifically look for good (tasty without respect for nasty) junk food for my kids because most junk ain't vegan and I don't mind them having some junk.
I can’t imagine vegan parents being into a product like this for their kid,
Imagine it. It's real. Not specifically margarine.
@fantombloo: The wonder white bread version of margarine is not ever going to be that product. This deal post was for people on a budget looking for stock standard marg. I just post random things as I see them, some are popular, some aren’t.
@morse: In case it wasn't clear, I appreciate you posting this! I was just questioning the business decision by Wonder.
@callum9999: Agree questionable business decision, but I think more because the ultra processed or the perceived ultra processed market is on the way out, moreso than any particular diet. I suspect many kids today are more familiar with sourdough and sushi than they are with wonder white bread.
Why bother? One has cows' milk. The other has vitamin D, undisclosed type / source, probably from sheep's wool. Neither are old fashioned butter. It's like they tried to piss off everyone with one product.