The line graph illustrates the consumption of three types of spreads between 1981 and 2007.
Overall, there was a striking decrease in the use of butter over the years. The most notable change was in the consumption of low-fat and reduced-fat spreads which were not consumed during the first half of the period. Meanwhile, margarine remained fairly stable until the mid-1990s before declining.
Butter consumption peaked at approximately 160 grams in 1986. Afterwards,it declined steadily to about 50 grams by 2007. By contrast, margarine consumption stood at about 90 grams in 1981, rose slightly to 100 grams in 1986, remained stable until 1996, and then fell steadily to around 40 grams in 2007.
The most noticeable trend in the graph was the rise in the consumption of low-fat and reduced-fat spreads. This type of spread first appeared in 1996 at just under 20 grams. It then rose sharply to just over 80 grams in 2001 before falling slightly to around 70 grams in 2007.
