North America’s last regulatory battle between butter and margarine producers will end, with the Canadian province of Québec deciding to lift its ban on yellow margarine.

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Québec’s strong dairy lobby has long defended a provincial rule preventing margarine resembling butter, instead been sold in unappetising white.


However, yesterday (8 July), the Québec government announced it was lifting the ban and yellow margarine should be available by August.


Opposition among dairy producers to liberalisation has been eased by bad publicity about trans-fats in vegetable oil products such as margarine.


A spokesman for the Québec Milk Producers Federation said: “It will not have an important impact on sales of butter.”

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