How the Great “Margarine War” Was Won
The dairy industry demonized margarine for decades
Sometimes, it takes nothing short of a war to change consumer preferences. The great butter vs. margarine war began in the late 19th Century and wasn’t settled until after World War II. It took butter rationing during the war to boost the popularity of the previously maligned margarine.
Margarine’s Early Days
For thousands of years, butter was preferred for spreading, cooking and baking. In 1869, a French chemist, Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès, concocted a substance made from beef tallow that he called oleomargarine. It was originally intended as a less expensive butter substitute for the French military and lower classes.
In the 1870s, margarine was introduced in the United States. By the 1880s, more than thirty-five companies were manufacturing the product. This was a cause for great concern among dairy farmers who saw margarine as a direct threat to butter. They correctly feared that competition from a cheaper butter substitute could cause a price decline. Dairy farmers, a major force in the United States and Canada, began to lobby aggressively against margarine manufacturers in both countries.
