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Dr. Kendra Smith-Howard, an Associate Professor in the History Department, recently published an essay on the role animal feeds play on the texture of butter. Below is an excerpt from her work.

During the pandemic, there was a high demand for butter due to people baking at home in Canada. As a result, Canadian farmers fed their cows supplements that contained palm oil which is known to increase milk production. Because of the cow’s newly changed diet, the manufacture of butter has changed according to Canadians.

The usage of palm oil is not ideal because of the problems that derive from it. Its creation has caused negative effects for the environment, as palm oil corporations cut down forests in Indonesia and Malaysia. This released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and destroyed homes of wildlife. Quebec Dairy Producers have encouraged members to put a pause on the use of palm oil while scientists study the effects it can have on people. Palm oil is also not favored because it is one of the main ingredients in margarine, thus butter is becoming less like butter.

In the late 1800’s, Canada put a ban on the sale of margarine in order to protect dairy farmers. The United States put a federal tax on colored margarine in hopes of decreasing the sales of margarine. However, in the 1900’s, margarine manufacturers in the US discovered they could use unbleached palm oil to avoid the taxes due to its natural yellow tint. Because of this loophole, many dairy farmers suffered. Canada was involved in many political debates in regards to the production and sales of margarine.

Dr. Kendra Smith-Howard

If the role of palm oil in "buttergate" provides a departure from past practice, it simultaneously displays the enduring power of the senses in evaluating butter quality. Sensory experiences set off the alarm of Canadian foodies and bakers. Butter felt different. Rather than spreading effortlessly on toast, butter crumbled and tore.

Butter used to be tested for its smell, taste, and texture by inserting a trier in a tub of butter. Over the course of the twentieth century, however, consumers became increasingly encouraged to know foods by their labels, rather than through sensory examinations. By the 1960s, food products were required to have food labels with the ingredients and nutrition facts. This protected the sales of butter as margarine used to be mislabeled as butter. Buttergate shows the limitations of this informational system. For it wasn’t a new ingredient detected on the label, or a new perception of the health risks of butter that registered that something was off about butter. Rather, consumers’ senses and engagement with the product through their work tipped them off. Butter didn’t spread or whip or sauté as anticipated. These embodied sensory experiences piqued consumers’ curiosity. They learned more about the supply chain and farms and palm plantations from which it came. For environmental historians, this pathway of knowledge resonates.

Buttergate is perhaps an unlikely vehicle for understanding, but it demonstrates the power of the material to generate questions, spur investigation, and perhaps, spark choices for our future that leave less of a lingering bitter taste behind.

There is much more to this story and you can check out the full essay HERE.

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