“Anti-sugar” campaigns: butter is now (too) popular
Due to the many campaigns in recent years aimed at reducing the consumption of sugar by individuals, butter is now a commodity whose purchases are on the rise. Indeed, consumers who sacrifice sugar fall back on butter in a compensation process, this is what the experts indicate.
These data and these explanations have been published by Euromonitor International, a consulting company which operates in particular in the fields of nutrition and food.
A rise in butter prices attributed (in part) to anti-sugar campaigns
In Western Europe, between 2008 and 2013 butter consumption increased by 36,000 tons. In the field of “ spreadable fats ”, this is the greatest increase, far ahead of the other products.
In North America, for example, consumption of butter over the period 2008-2013 increased by 19,000 tonnes, even though other spreadable fats (as well as oil) were down by 62,000 tonnes.
According to Lauren Bandy (1) , food analyst for Euromonitor International, this increase could be explained by the fact that for several years, food recommendations, in a general way, are very much centered around the limitation of sugar and around the protein consumption .
The interpretation, in the United States and in Europe, of all these different recommendations (widely publicized) would therefore be related to this increase in butter consumption.
Sugar, fat: you have to look at foods as a whole
Yet Lauren Bandy and her colleague Diana Cownload (Healthcare analyst) insist that it is essential to look at the elements as a whole, and not just their macro-nutrients.
These analysts also take as an example a recent study from the University of Cambridge (March 2014) which suggested that the reduction of saturated fatty acids alone would not have any particular beneficial consequences on health: it is however necessary to look at foods as a whole , and not just their saturated fatty acid composition. “ Saturated fatty acids ” are indeed not an ingredient in their own right, and it is therefore advisable to be careful when interpreting this type of study.
Low-sweetened products can thus be very fatty, just as many “low-fat” products often contain an impressive amount of sugar.
According to analysts, before the war on sugar was waged (as for example in the United Kingdom, which actively fights against the overconsumption of sugar ), it was fat that was targeted (and sugar was then consumed in too much). We could witness today the beginning of a changeover: by dint of blaming sugar too much, certain fats (like butter) could now have (too) the coast.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.