“If It's Yellow, It Must Be Butter”: Margarine Regulation in North America Since 1886
- 1 June 1999
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in The Journal of Economic History
- Vol. 59 (2) , 353-371
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050700022865
Abstract
The first domestic food to be regulated by the federal government in the United States, margarine had a unique regulation history. No other food products has been so harshly treated throughtout the world. The American margarine policy up to the 1950s is generally considered remarkably severe. The Canadian policy was even more stringent and more enduring. The province of Quebec, and until very recently of Ontario, still prohibits the yellow coloring of margarine. This article compares the history of margarine regulation in the two countries and uses the interest-group theory of government to investigate why it was so stringent.Keywords
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