Special margarine sales

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32966, 12 July 1972, Page 18

Special margarine sales

Confusion exists about who is entitled to buy polyunsaturated table margarine since it became available in some New Zealand shops about six weeks ago. The poly-unsaturated margarine is available only to those persons who produce a doctor’s certificate authorising them to be sold the product for health reasons. The certificate is not the same as a prescription. The doctors does not prescribe; margarine, he simply says that it would be beneficial for! his patient to use it. The margarine is made; from vegetable fats, not; anima! fats as in ordinary i buters and margarines. For! this reason it is beneficial to! some coronarv patients. ! The press liaison officer for

the Canterbury’ division of the i Medical Association of New ! Zealand, Dr B. Heyward, said jthat doctors would usually write out a certificate for a patient with a high blood fat I level, if the person felt the product would be of assistI ance. PREFERENCE, TOO If a person felt very I strongly about wanting to I use margarine in preference to butter, most doctors would probably issue a certificate in this case too, he said. But Dr Heyward predicted that there would only be a small percentage of people using the product, using thep roduct. At about 66c a lb the imported margarine was about double the The availability of margarine is determined by the number of import licences: issued. Tn Christchurch two' importers supplv the product' to chemists and health food:

shops—the only retailers of margarine. People who obtain margarine from the Sanitarium Health Food Company’s shops present their doctor’s certificates when first buying the product. Their name, address, and doctor’s name is then recorded in a special book for reference when the person wished to replenish supplies. One chemist’s shop in the central city retains the certificates, which are referred to each time a person wishes to buv margarine. The manager said chemists I had no set procedure when I selling margarine to the customers. Proper legislation would have to be drawn up. The present arrangement has no legislative basis and does not involve the Department of Health. In Australia polyunsaturated margarine is manufactured on a quota basis.