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Article: Margarine popularity keeps spreading
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- March 10, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (null) Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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Butter-lovers have cursed, ignored and even enacted laws against
it, but they haven't been able to stop the spread.
Consumption of margarine has increased steadily since it was
concocted by French pharmacist Hippolyte Mege for butter-short troops
during the Napoleonic Wars.
These days descendants of Mege's invention fill tubs and sticks
and squeeze bottles, jamming supermarket refrigerator cases. In
1987, Americans spent close to $1.5 billion on margarine products,
and there's every indication the buying trend will remain strong.
Much to the continual chagrin of farmers, we now consume twice as
much margarine as butter.
The plenitude has wrought confusion, however. Margarine ...