The graph below shows the consumption of 3 spreads from 1981 to 2007

The graph illustrates the amount of 3 kinds of spreads ( margarine, low fat and reduced spreads, butter) which were consumed over 26 years from 1981 to 2007. Units are measured in grams.

Overall, it can be seen that the consumption of margarine and butter dropped over the period shown, while the figure for low fat and reduced spread rose in 1966. At the start of the period, butter was the most popular spread, which was overtook by the margarine in 1991. Following that, low fat and reduced spreads became the most widely used in the final years.

With regards to the amount of butter used, in 1981, it stood at nearly 140 grams, before reaching the peak of almost 160 grams in 1986. after that, there was a sharp decrease by more than 100 grams in the consumption of butter over 15 years. Likewise, around 90 grams of margarine was eaten in the fist year after which this figure fluctuated slightly and dropped to a low of 40 grams.

On the other hand, the consumption of low fat and reduced spread only started in 1996, at about 10 grams.This figure, which peaked the highest point at approximately 90 grams 5 years later, declined slightly to just 70 grams in 2007.