MARGARINE MENACE.

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17679, 2 September 1929, Page 4

MARGARINE MENACE.

A movement is on foot in some parts of Australia to secure legislation to prohibit the manufacture of margarine. That margarine is a distinct menace to the butter industry is but whether the proposal to prohibit its manifestation is the way to combat it is questionable. IThere are large concerns interested in its manufacture and sale. Last year the great margarine combicte operating in Europe spent £1,600,000 in advertising its product. No doubt part of the money was spent in telling customers that margarine was "just as good as butter." 'Constantly reiterated statements have an effect on the minds of the people quite out of proportion to the truth of them. Constant repetition of the margarine manufacturers' slogan will induce more and more people to believe in it each year. 'The proper way to meet the competitor is by similar the people that margarine is not as good as butter, and, go further, tell them why this is the case. Despite the claims made on behalf of the nuts-and-oil compound it has not the food value of butter; it will not build bodies or increase the energy of the human machine to the same extent as dairy produce. Margarine is palatable; it has some food value, but it is not just as good. Farmers will probably contend that the common sense of consumers should be sufficient to make them declare in favour of butter every time, but mankind, in the mass, is not over-endowed with common sense. Margarine will continue to become a more and more serious competitor with the dairy farmers' product and its manufacture will not be prohibited. The most effective reply is to tell the public .the difference between the articles. Educate them to ;the value of butter for growing children, for instance, and it will be found that the majority will always plump for the best article. It would also be well to conduct with the educative campaign an agitation for more stringent supervision of the methods of marketing margarine, although it is already illegal to endeavour to pass off margarine with the "just as> good" plea.