The line graph illustrates the weekly consumption of butter, margarine, and low fat and reduced spreads in grams between 1981 and 2007.
Overall, butter consumption experienced a significant decline over the period, while low fat and reduced spreads saw a rapid increase after their introduction, and margarine consumption fluctuated before falling sharply.
In 1981, butter was the most popular spread at 142 grams, peaking at 160 grams in 1986. However, its popularity plummeted thereafter, reaching 100 grams in 1991 and ending the period at 50 grams in 2007. Margarine consumption began at 95 grams in 1981, dipped to 80 grams in 1986, and then recovered to reach a plateau of 100 grams between 1991 and 1996. Subsequently, it declined to 80 grams in 2001 and finished at a low of 40 grams in 2007.
Low fat and reduced spreads were not recorded until 1996, starting at a mere 10 grams. Their consumption surged to 80 grams by 2001, briefly overtaking margarine, before experiencing a slight decrease to 70 grams by 2007. By the end of the period, low fat and reduced spreads had become the most consumed product among the three, despite the overall downward trend in the consumption of all spreads.