The line graph illustrates the amount of three types of spreads – butter, margarine, and low-fat spreads – consumed between 1981 and 2007, measured in grams per person per week.
Overall, butter and margarine consumption showed a downward trend over the period, while low-fat spreads, which appeared later, increased rapidly before experiencing a slight decline. Butter was the most popular spread at the beginning, but low-fat spreads became the most widely consumed by the end.
In 1981, butter consumption was the highest at approximately 140 grams per person per week. It then rose slightly to a peak of around 160 grams in 1986, before declining steadily to about 50 grams by 2007. Margarine, by contrast, started at around 90 grams in 1981 and fluctuated slightly until 1991, after which it gradually decreased to roughly 40 grams at the end of the period.
Low-fat spreads were introduced in 1996 at about 10 grams. Their consumption increased sharply to a peak of approximately 80 grams in 2001, overtaking both butter and margarine. However, this figure then fell moderately to around 70 grams in 2007, though it still remained the most consumed spread.