Parents and Kids Still Need to Bone Up on Calcium and Vitamin D

Shedd’s Spread Country Crock(R) Calcium Plus Vitamin D Helps Kids and Adults Get More of these Vital Nutrients

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., March 2 /PRNewswire/ — Despite general knowledge of the importance of calcium in our diets, nine out of ten girls and three out of four boys don’t get enough of this important nutrient.(1) In addition, a recent study indicates that there has been a decline in Vitamin D levels among Americans, children and adults over the past 10 years.(2) Shedd’s Spread Country Crock(R) Calcium Plus Vitamin D can help make it easier for parents to ensure their families get these important nutrients in their diet.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090302/NY76879 )

Each serving (equivalent to one tablespoon) of Country Crock(R) Calcium Plus Vitamin D provides 100 mg of calcium, which is 10% of the Daily Value (DV) for calcium, and 80 IU of vitamin D, which is 20% of the DV for vitamin D. That equals as much calcium as a 1-ounce slice of low-fat cheese and four times as much vitamin D as an egg.

“Getting enough calcium in childhood is critical for developing healthy bones and teeth into adulthood, and vitamin D is also essential for healthy bones because it helps the body absorb calcium,” said Doug Balentine, PhD., Director of Nutrition Science at Unilever. “In fact, the level of calcium needed every day more than doubles during childhood.”

Country Crock(R) knows parents need simple solutions at mealtime. That’s why www.CountryCrock.com offers recipe ideas, nutrition information and tips for simple ways to get more calcium and vitamin D into the diet. Parents can also visit the site to take a fun interactive quiz to bone up on their calcium and vitamin D knowledge.

Country Crock(R) Calcium Plus Vitamin D still has the same great Country Crock(R) taste families love, and is a better nutrition choice than butter, with 70% less saturated fat, half the calories, no cholesterol, and zero grams of trans fat per serving.* Country Crock(R) Calcium

Plus Vitamin D can be identified by its new blue lid, and is available at retailers nationwide for the suggested retail price of $2.39 (15 ounce) and $3.89 (45 ounce).

* Contains 5.0 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat per serving

1 Moshfegh A, Goldman J, Cleveland L. What we eat in America, NHANES 2001-2002; Usual nutrient intakes from food compared with Dietary Reference Intakes. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Does not include breast-fed children.

2 Looker, A.,Pfeiffer C., Lacher D., Schleicher,R.,Picciano,M., Yetlet E. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D Status of the US population 1988-1994 compared with 2000-2004. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:1519-27.

About Unilever

Unilever’s mission is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Each day, around the world, consumers make 160 million decisions to purchase Unilever products.

In the United States, the portfolio includes major brand icons such as: Axe, “all,” Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann’s, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Snuggle, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 14,000 people in both the United States and Puerto Rico – generating nearly $11 billion in sales in 2007. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.

    Contact:  Kristen Ryan
              M Booth & Associates
              212.539.3225
              kristenr@mbooth.com

SOURCE Unilever