(Newser)
– A Canadian cookbook author has helped feed what is called “buttergate,” a cry for an apparent change in Canadian butter that leaves it hard all the time, even when kept at room temperature. On February 5, Julie Van Rosendaal he tweeted the next: “There’s something with our butter supply and I’m going to get to the bottom. Did you notice it’s no longer mild at room temperature? The next day he offered this:” I actually think I’ve figured out what’s going on with our butter supply. I feel very much Nancy Drew this morning. Stay tuned. “More:
- What Van Rosendaal then dissipated was one Balloon and mail a column that set out her theory: that an increase in cooking during the pandemic triggered an increase in demand for butter – a 12% increase – which, according to her, led to changes in the cows ’diet. The culprit? Substances with palm oil, according to Van Rosendaal and others.
- The BBC explains that “adding energy supplements based on palm oil to cow feed is an old practice that is said to increase milk production in cows and increase the fat content of milk.” The thought is that farmers use more of it and the resulting butter could have a higher melting point, which could affect its consistency at room temperature.
- Van Rosendaal was not alone in her observations. He Guardian points out Sylvain Charlebois, professor of food distribution and policy, he tweeted about the situation in December and has since spoken about it regularly. On Wednesday, he he tweeted a press release announcing that Quebec dairy farmers will ban the use of palm oil on farms, along with a Thursday tweet claiming he had received threats from dairy farmers.
- The BBC reports that the Dairy Farmers of Canada group on Thursday called on milk producers to temporarily stop using palm supplements while a group examined the problem.
- Charlebois offers two useful perspectives: why Buttergate came across such a weak fever and the economy that could drive things. As for the first, he explains that butter costs much more (up to 3 times) in Canada than in the United States, so Canadians “expect quality” in exchange for paying those high prices. “So no matter what is causing the hardest butter, people are really wondering what’s going on here. And the lack of transparency in the dairy industry is being questioned.”
- And there are the economic aspects as well: The Guardian explains that Canada uses a complex system designed to keep foreign products out and keep domestic prices consistent when it comes to milk, butter and cheese. As part of this, farmers are paid a fixed fee each month. Therefore, “regardless of the quality of your product, regardless of what happens on your farm, you will get the same amount of money,” says Charlebois. “How do you generate more fat while keeping costs as low as possible? Well, palmitic acids are a very convenient solution.”
(Read more butter stories.)