SALE OF MARGARINE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1996, 2 March 1914, Page 10

SALE OF MARGARINE

. DAIRYMEN'S OBJECTIONS. Oil Thursday a deputation of British importers of butter will wait 011 Mr. •Runciman, President of the British Board of Trade, to urge that: further restrictions, bo imposed to prevent the fraudulent sale of margarine. This substitute for butter is having a wide sale throughout Great Britain, and dairy farmers and those interested in tho butter trado naturally object to margarine masquerading as butter,. though they have 110 objection to the manufacture of margarino and salo of it as such in its natural colour. It stands to reason that there must bo,some line of demarcation between-the two'products. Tho great difference between the cost of producing butter and margarine naturally furnishes a strong temptation to au unscrupulous dealer to substitute tho cheaper- product for tho dearer, when the two present the same appearance, and tho chances of detecting tho fraud are slight. All civilised nations havo. had to face this problep, and almost every country has enacted laws which aim to prevent the sale of margarine as butter.

In France and Denmark there is practically no attempt to sell margarine as butter. This is duo to the tact that in 'both these countries it is strictly forbidden to colour margarino yellow,'in imitation of butter. . Franco, tho birthplace of tho margarino industry, con trols and regulates the manufacture of the substituto by tho mo.jt rigid laws. They., not only prohibit tho colouring of margarine, but they require all, manufacturers and dealeis in margarino to display large signs, stating that margarine is there manufactured or sold,, as tho case may be. Butter must not bo manufactured or sold on the same premises with margarine.. Most of tho European countries h'avo laws prohibiting tho. sale of margarino in tlie' samo store, where butter-is sold.

Though tho colouring of margarine in Denmark is forbidden,the per capita' consumption of margarine is , possibly greater in Denmark, than in any other country in tho world. The amount of . magarine consumed in Denmark in* 1912 was 82,000,0001b., or about 301b.- por capita, and all this was white or uneoloured 'margarine, so ;that the prohibition, against colouring margarine does not'prevent its sale. In Belgium they jiermit' tho' colouring of margarine, but they require that it bo sold in packages containing from ono to four pounds. These packages aro of different shapes,, from the butter , packages. Manufacturers of . margarine must dis|)la.y. largo signs, stating that margarine is . 'manufactured thel'e; retailers must also display large margarine signs, and they-are prohibited from.selling butter oh ; the same premises. The margarino wagons are also branded.

Great Britain permits tho colouring of margarii}e,.and butter is ' mixed with margarino .to a. large extent. Somb'of the large- butter dealers are also said ,to be manufacturers of margarine. The fraudulent :salo of'margarine is believed to' bo quite common throughout all parts of. the .United Kingdom.- . :

Yellow, is the natural colour of butter. On"the "other hand, yellow is not the natural colour of 'margarino. When margarine 'is coloured yellow, it is dono ill order to imitate the appearance of Imttcr. When butter is incorporated into margarine, it is dono in order to make .ifc taste liko butter. The only ■fairipblioyi it is urged/is-to require that each product stand on its merits, and be sold absolutely for what it is and without any-possibility of fraud or deception hi: any shape or form.- - '