Canadians Wondering Why Butter Seems Harder

Early in the pandemic, Julie Van Rosendaal started to notice something different about the butter she used in
her cooking and baking. It seemed harder than it used to be.

Van Rosendaal has a food blog called DinnerWithJulie.com. She talks about food on CBC radio and writes
about it in magazines and newspapers.

Before, when she left butter out of the fridge it used to go soft; it was easy to spread on bread. But these days,
she noticed, if she wanted soft butter, she had to put it in the microwave. If she used it right out of the
cupboard, it would tear holes in her bread.

Was her kitchen too chilly? Or had something about Canadian butter changed?

On Feb. 5, Van Rosendaal posted her about suspicions on social media. More than a thousand people on
Facebook and hundreds on Twitter commented that they had been noticing the same thing.

The answer seems to be that Canadian dairy cows, which produce milk that makes Canadian butter, are likely
being fed more palm oil fats in their feed than before.

As more people began doing more baking and bread making during the pandemic, the demand for butter went
up. Using palm fats in livestock feed can increase the amount of milk cows produce, which helps farmers to
meet the increased demand for butter.

Some people don’t want palm fats in their diet, because they say it isn’t heart-healthy. Others say it changes
the taste and texture of butter and cheese. There may also be environmental issues associated with the
production of palm oil, according to critics.

The Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) put out a statement in February saying that “palm products, including
those derived from palm oil, are sometimes added to dairy cows’ rations” to help give cows more energy.

They also said the amount of palm oil in livestock feed is very small and the practice has been going on in
Canada and other countries for years. They said all milk sold in Canada is safe to consume and dairy farmers
must meet strict guidelines about safety.

DFC represents dairy farmers in Canada and promotes dairy products and their health benefits, according to
their annual report. They said that they, and a group of experts, plan to look into the issue of hard butter and
palm oil in livestock feed.

In the meantime, the Dairy Farmers of Canada are recommending that farmers “consider using alternatives to
palm supplements” in livestock feed, according to their website.

~THINK ~DISCUSS~ EMAIL

1) If you are Canadian: Have you noticed any changes to your butter?
 2) If you’re from another country: Do you think the issue of what Canadians feed their livestock is
relevant for people not living in Canada?
3) Why or Why not?
4) Make a T-chart of the pros and cons of using palm oil in livestock feed. (Note: “pros” to one group
may be “cons” to a different group, depending on their point-of-view.)
5) There are a lot of people and organizations involved in, or potentially affected by, this issue. Write
down five people or organizations and what their point-of-view is about this issue.
6) The Dairy Farmers of Canada association is going to do a study to find out more about palm-oil
products in livestock feed. What do you think the study will find? What recommendations do you
think they will make?
7) The issue of hard butter has been labelled #Buttergate. What does that hashtag mean and why is it
being used?

LINKS

This issue has made international headlines, and even become fodder for humour on the late night talk show
circuit. Here is a sample of some of the articles about #Buttergate.

Van Rosendaal’s article in The Globe and

Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/article-is-your-butter-not-as-soft-as-it-used-
to-be-the-pandemic-and-our-urge/

Statement from the Dairy Farmers of Canada about the consistency of

butter: https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/dairy-farmers-canada-comments-consistency-butter

Recommendation to diary farmers from the Dairy Farmers of

Canada: https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/consider-using-alternatives-palm-supplements-says-dairy-
farmers-canada

CBC News article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-dairy-farmers-palm-fat-

hard-butter-1.5927559

This article in Treehugger.com talks about some of the ill effects of using palm
oil: https://www.treehugger.com/canadians-outraged-dairy-industry-use-palm-oil-cattle-feed-5114035

A follow-up article by The Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-buttergate-

spreads-as-dairy-lobby-asks-farmers-to-stop-using-palm-oil/