MARGARINE V. BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2011, 19 March 1914, Page 8

MARGARINE V. BUTTER.

THE-POSITION IN LONDON. / Some time ago the Bermondsey Guardians decided' to substitute butter for margarine in their infirmary and workhouses at au extra, cost of £1500 a year, but on receiving -u report from the Local Government Board Tvhicli has charge of tho administration, of tho Food and Drug Act decided to rescind their previous resolution and to revert to the use of margarine. This latter ■fact was cabled out by the Press Agescy a few weeks .ago. Tho memorandum of the Local Government Board was as follows:— .., -- ' '■. v . .-. . : : From time to time investigations have been- undertaken with a. .visw to ascciv ' ■taininc; the comparative, nutritive values of rnargarino and butter. 'Hie penoral conclusion wliicli lias been arrived at 13 that there is.rio apprecia-ble dif-t ference between thq nutritive value i of theso fatty .foods. Otlier experiments ' have shown that margarine butter, lard, and coconut oil, arc- equally well absorbed. The usual amount of thest fats absorbed is'from ,95 to 98, per cent.: of ..that ingested.'-The above'results are what might have been expected from a. consideration, of the physical and cherai- , cal character of the fats. The actual ' energy values of fats differ slightly according to tho composition of the fats. Thus, tho ensign value of. an unsaturated fat. would -naturally differ from ■■'that of a saturated fat. Determinations of the caloric values of various, oils and fats have been made, and re- : suits varying from 9.100 to 9.900 ealor- ! ies per gramme according to the food' • investigated have been obtained. Theso ' I are outside limits; the majority of edible fats have value in tho neighbour■hcod of 9:500 calories. Thus an inves- • tication has found .the caloric ..value of ■ butter to be 9.505 calories; the caloric ■ γ-alue of -some of the fats which enter' •into the composition of margarine, has •'been determined, and is found not to differ.greatly from this. 'Thus.a deter- . initiation ,of- the caloric value of beef 'fat has been given at 9.485 calores; of mutton fat, 9.492 calories; of lard, 9.469 calories; -of cotton seed oil, 9.401 calories; and ofarchis oil, 9.412 calories. .It is true!that more vegetable > oils and I fats are' being used nowadays than i formerly in the- manufacture of marear- ; ine, but there ,is no evidence that these are less nutritious than animal fats. All : the evidence available tends to show Jtliat there'is little or no difference in ; this respect between fats and oils ob--1 tained from animal or vegetable sources. ■ i'AH f'at-s-'used for marearino making, i whether they are of animal or vegetable I origin, must be practically odourless j and tasteless; this implies a high deI greo of;.refinement and purity. The j advantage which /butter possesses, over ■\ margarine is aesthetic rather- than diet- ! etie, and the difference in price between theso two articles represents what the consumer is willing to pay for luxury. In its first editorial the "Grocer" de-scribed-this as "remarkable- testimony, to tho -.value of margarine as a food." And after commenting that if "Australian butter producers claim an alteration of the margarine laws of the United Kingdom, and a penalising of margarine, 'in. order that their butter may commnifd it betteivprico on:the,'Home' markets (a contention put forward in tlio correspondence referred to), other ; British'ieolonies which produce the nuts from vfhich margarine' is, now largely made must also ,be. considered." The editorial concludes: "It would be idle to suggest that there are no iraudu--1 lout sales,of margarine as-butter, but I we believe that they .are. ...insignificant Eo far as-shopkeepers are'eoncerned,'.a'ncl ' that they are mainly perpetrated, by ; itinerant, vendors,, for whom a system -.'. of registration and.'.licensing certainly I ought to be introduced. In any rc.se,. ; in face of the proof of the food value' ( of margarine which tho .memorandum J:■'affords,, "tho utmost care ought to be V, taken to prevent my undue interference f, .with the sale of .a substitute lyhidi.is '~. over growing in ■'popularity with the j> masses , of tho -peoplo of tho Unites! |< Kingdom." ..... . , . ,