You could go to prison to sell this now unanimous meal

Margarine was once light pink – and not by chance. At the beginning of the 20th century there was a concerted campaign by milk lobbyists, the Federal Government and Wisconsin (the “Milk State” Milk State “) to turn consumers against Margarine. Their goal was to make the spread as unattractive as possible-so they slipped a plan to spread the spread, and the government set a lot of law to get a law to Say goodbye that it was illegal not to sell pinkes margarine.

But what had Margarine done to earn such fate? In order to understand the ascent, autumn and the short era of barbie back teaching, we have to return in the past.

The origins of Margarine

Butter prices in France rose in the 1860s: the demand for the milk product rose when the country’s population quickly grew and the dairy industry tried to produce enough milk for butter. In search of a solution, Napoleon III. To everyone who could create a cheaper butter Alternative for his army and the general public. French chemist and food scientist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès Stropped with “Oleomargarine”, a creamy, whitish-gray emulsion of the sebum and lean milk, loud Britannica. According to Dr. Joe Schwarcz, director of the McGill University for Science and Society, Mège-Mouriès ” his recipe “oleomargarine” submitted And easy to win.

Margarine’s affordability quickly increased his popularity throughout Europe. In 1871, Mège-Mouriès sold the patent to Jürgens, a Dutch company that would eventually become Unilever, and paved Margarine the way to get into the American mainstream market, explains the Britannica entry. A few years later, the Oleo Margarine Manufacturing Company was founded in New York. The company, hoping that Margarine would soon become a staple for the working class Americans, quickly expanded and built 37 production facilities in the United States. (At that time, margarine companies still used a combination of sebaceous or lard and lean milk. The hydrogenation, the process, the vegetable oils turned into a fixed product, was only common in the 1910s, and only in the 1950s became margarine into a vegetable product.)

Margarine’s introduction – and his quick increase in popularity – was at a time when many customers of Butter’s inconsistencies were frustrated. As a rule, in small batches, the butter in terms of equipment, cattle and the skills of the manufacturer can vary in great quality. As historian Gerry Strey found in an article from 2001 for 2001 The Wisconsin Magazine of History“The overall quality of Wisconsin Butter, who was known as” Western Fett “and was sold as a lubricant in the Chicago markets, was not that bad.” Although Margarine was a more consistent alternative and was widespread, many American consumers were suspicious of their unattractive pale gray appearance.

To make margarine more attractive, some producers started adding yellow food dye to imitate the color of butter. With its new sunny yellow color, the spread was more easily recognized than consistent and affordable butter replacement. In his dissertation “Scheinbutter: An analysis of the congress debates from 1886 on the legislation of Oleomargarine,” Chris Burns, a butter historian at the University of Vermont, finds that Margarine has made such an alternative that over 60 million pounds of margarine, occasionally referred to as “Butterine”, were sold as butter in 1885.

Big butter occurs

Big Butter’s counter reaction came quickly. In 1886, the congress passed the Oleomargarine Act, which imposed on Margarine manufacturers and license fees. Some states – including Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio – have completely banned Margarine.

Other states instead of banning it directly have issued “pink laws” in which the producers Margarine had to color a unattractive pink or were exposed to a fine of $ 100 or for up to 60 days in prison. Some state legislators even proposed to color Margarine red, brown or black. These pink laws were immediately effective and set up margarine sales until the US Supreme Court of the United States put them down in 1898. “Pink is not the color of Oleomargarine in its natural state,” wrote the court and found that no reasonable customer would buy such a “unanimous” product. The court decided that the forcing of the coloring of food was unconstitutional and the era of the pink margarine effectively ended.

Margarine returned to the shelves as if nothing had happened, and when the sales rose again, his rivalry was resumed with the butter. The conflict reached a high in 1906 when the federal government passed the law on pure food and drugs, which banned the sale of faulty or falsified foods. According to this law, Margarine, who imitated butter, was now the legal examination.

Nevertheless, the demand for an affordable replacement remained high. In order to rock the law, Margarine producers did not sell with unclear margarine together with Yellow dye packagesTo instruct customers to knead the dye by hand – a process that could take up to 20 minutes.

Surprisingly, some laws even worked for Margarine’s favor. For example, some butter producers had colored their products yellow to imitate the rich butter color from grass -fed cows. Under the same test that Margarine was used, they had to change their practices. After New York TimesPresent In 1923, the congress passed a law that banned additives in butter – especially those that made it more of a creative – that made butter less appealing. In the meantime, Margarine became a staple for many Americans, especially during the First World War and the Second World War and the financial hardship of the global economic crisis. Recipes from this time, including cakes and Butteroften challenged for Margarine.

The flood turns

Over time, hostility to margarine began to fade. In 1950 President Harry Truman signed the Margarine ActRunning the law of 1886 and allowing yellow margarine together with butter to return to the shelves. Some Holdout countries, especially Wisconsin, caught the restrictions. When Margarine’s popularity reached new heights in 1967, Wisconsin finally opened his ban – although it is still illegal there Serve margarine in a restaurant, unless expressly requested.

Over the years, celebrities have occurred in advertising material for the spice and help to strengthen their image: 1959 Eleanor Roosevelt appeared In a TV display for a lot of luck Margarine and claimed that she spread it on her toast. 1974, at the beginning of the mainstream diet culture, Canadian actor Willian Shatner stopped a promise package of Margarinedenounce its cholesterol -reducing properties. For a short moment in the 1980s, when low -fat diets were the last anger, Margarine was a staple for many.

In the 1990s and 2000s, however, the ingredient fell into disgrace when more people became aware of the risks of trans fats, which are partially generated by hydrogenation – a process that was used in many margarines and spreads. However, Margarine was still committed to himself: in 2006 singer Ozzy Osbourne played in one bizarre commercial For the company I cannot believe that it is not butter and said that he could not “recognize” the difference between Margarine of the brand and the actual butter.

Margarine’s place today

Today Margarine still has a permanent place on the market. “I can’t believe that it is not butter” is both a known name and one of the best Margarine brands in A 4.03 billion US dollars of global market. Other recognizable Margarine brands – such as Flora, Country Crock, Blue Motornet and Earth Balance – can set supermarket shelves across the country. (Our Senior editor Genevieves parents still keep a bathtub from Flora in their fridge.) While some of these companies are now trying to distance themselves from the word margarine, their products retain the same spirit as Mège-Mouriès’ original finding: An already replacement for butter.

Another bump to Margarine’s favor came in 2018 when the FDA prohibited partial hydrogenation in food production in knowledge of the risk of trans fats. Manufacturers of Margarine and other products that partially used hydrated oils had to formulate themselves, and the food returned to the “good” list for some experts. A 2025 articles from the Mayo clinicexplains: “Margarine often tops butter when it comes to health.”

Margarine may not be the first choice of enthusiastic house chefs and professional chefs these days, but like David towards Goliath, it has apparently opposed it. It overcome federal regulations, industry smear campaigns and even a bizarre mandate to dye it pink. If you go to a supermarket today, you will still find the yellow tub that is confident next to butter.