not technically helpful...

[cellio]

I was trying to find out if Butterball turkeys actually contain butter, so I went to their web site. I could find nothing about ingredients/additives on the site, but I found this in the "about us" section: "In fact, the Butterball name was chosen to characterize a new, special breed of broad-breasted white feather turkeys, not because the turkeys contain butter, as many mistakenly believe."

Just a few more words could have removed the ambiguity. So it's a mistake to believe that the turkeys contain butter, or (what this technically says) that it's a mistake to believe that their name has anything to do with the possible presence of butter? Having failed to disambiguate with the resources they provide, I sent them email.

Odd detail: while they have a domain name (the obvious one, in fact), customer support has an AOL address.

Update: Reply received; no butter. (See comments.)

Comments

response from Butterball

[cellio]

Here is the mail I received from Butterball:

Thank you for contacting the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line via the Internet!

Since the ingredient you are asking about is one of the "Big 8" allergens (wheat, eggs, soy, milk, fish, shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts), the USDA requires that this ingredient must be listed in the ingredient statement on the package when it is in the food. No "Big 8" allergens are used in the flavoring ingredients of Butterball turkeys.

When there are dietary concerns, we advise purchasing Butterball Fresh Turkey and Butterball Fresh Breast of Turkey, which are all-natural and contain no added ingredients.

The breast meat of Butterball Frozen Turkeys, including Butterball Frozen Stuffed Turkey, and Butterball Frozen Breast of Turkey is moistness enhanced with a patented recipe of ingredients to enhance the natural flavor of the breast meat and yield a more uniformly juicy and tender turkey after cooking.

Individual ingredients in the basting recipe (water, salt, modified food starch - corn or potato source, sodium phosphate and natural flavors) are specified on the labels. We cannot say what the natural flavors are since that is proprietary information. However, we can tell you that no "Big 8" allergens are included and that the recipe does not contain butter.

If you have additional questions don't hesitate to contact us again, or call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line at 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372) and speak directly to one of our professional home economists. If you like, request the complimentary "Holiday Entertaining" recipe booklet that's available to Talk-Line callers.

Enjoy the best of all from Butterball and have a great holiday!

Re: response from Butterball

[profane-stencil.livejournal.com]

You got a response! Even more amazing, you got a response that actually answered the question! Thanks for sharing it.

Of course butter would have to mentioned as an allergen. I should have thought of that. A common occurrence in internet communication- getting caught up in the superficial question (Why is it called "butterball"?) and losing sight of the important element ("Is Cellio going to have a problem with her parents' turkey"?). A great example here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/experimentego/180374.html), if anyone has the time to read it.