I can’t believe it’s not melting! ‘Buttergate’ worries Canadians

DAIRY farmers in Canada are investigating complaints by consumers that their blocks of butter have become too hard to spread.

The saga began with a question posted on Twitter by Julie Van Rosendaal, a Canadian cookbook author, who asked her followers: “Have you noticed it’s no longer soft at room temperature?”

Hundreds of people responded saying they shared the problem. Scientists warned it could become a public health issue, and have blamed an increase in the use of palm oil.

Dr Sylvain Charlebois, the senior director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, who looked into the claims, said: “Disturbing reports are now pointing at some practices on the farm that may have altered the quality of the butter we buy.”

Dr Charlebois said on CTV News that due to the rising demand for butter during lockdown – up by 12 per cent last year – farmers had been giving their cows energy supplements, often in the form of palm oil.

“To explain it simply, palm oil given to dairy cows increases the proportion of saturated fat in milk compared to unsaturated fat, thus increasing the melting point of butter,” he said.

“This explains why butter made from cows fed with palm oil remains difficult to spread at room temperature. So, if you wondered why butter is harder at room temperature, this is likely the most plausible reason.”

There was a public health issue at play, Dr Charlebois argued. “Palm oil may increase certain heart disease risk factors in some people,” he said. “The effects of palm oil production on the environment, health and lives of indigenous people in different parts of the world are well documented and deeply concerning.”

The Dairy Farmers of Canada, a lobbying group, convened an expert committee to look into the issue, but defended the practice.

“Palm products, including those derived from palm oil, are sometimes added to dairy cows’ rations in limited amounts to increase the energy density of cow diets if needed,” the group said in a statement.

“Dairy farmers are uncompromising when it comes to quality and follow some of the most stringent standards in the world to uphold that commitment.”

Dr Charlebois added: “A buttergate is not what the industry needs, or what Canadians deserve. Let us hope the dairy industry can clean itself up before its moral contract with Canadians is permanently damaged.”

‘Butter made from cows fed with palm oil remains difficult to spread at room temperature’