Let’s jump in a time machine and head back to the 1990s: Margarine is back, baby.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” you scoff. “No one is eating margarine.”
But plant-based butter is all the rage. Of course, it’s not butter butter. Can you guess what ill-fated food category plant-based butter does fall under? It’s margarine.
That’s not my opinion: That’s what the law states, per both the Butter Act and the Code of Federal Regulations. The CFR is the bible for any food industry professional who wishes to stay out of legal trouble. It outlines the legal definition of foods, what ingredients must be included, and how the food should be processed.
Not all foods are included here; it’s mostly those that are likely to be mimicked by cheaper versions. Think chocolate, milk, and, of course, butter.
What is butter?
Butter has long been regulated by the Butter Act, which has remained largely unchanged since 1886. It was the rise of margarine that initially forced the government to legally define butter.
Decades of battle between the two industries, as well as some truly bizarre legislation, followed. At one point, many states…
