History
U.S. commercial versions of sunflower butter were first introduced in the early 1980s as alternatives to peanut butter, particularly for those with nut allergies or peanut allergies; these attempts were unsuccessful, which was attributed to issues with its greenish appearance, "poor texture", and a bitter under-roasted taste.
Two decades later, in 2000, researchers at the Agricultural Research Service of the Department of Agriculture, working with sunflower seed processor Red River Commodities, developed a formulation that "resembled the texture, flavor, and nutty appearance of commercially available peanut butter", focusing on the degree of roasting and the amounts of sugar, salt, and stabilizer (hydrogenated cottonseed and rapeseed oils). At that same time, Red River Commodities invested in new sunflower seed hybrids and specialized production areas, formed the subsidiary SunGold Foods, Inc., and created a peanut-free and tree-nut free food processing, packaging, distribution and shipping environment at both company’s locations. The substitute for peanut butter, introduced in 2002, became known as SunButter.
By 2011, SunButter became available at major grocery retailers such as Kroger, SuperValu, Walmart, Target, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
Read more about this topic: Sunflower Butter
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