(Source of image: Florida State Archives)
In 1951, these men proudly
displayed Parkay products in one of Jacksonville's Daylight Supermarkets.
This was probably at Christmas time, judging by a similar photo at the Florida
State Archives. The products in this exhibit included colored oleo, also known as margarine and oleomargarine.
It's a butter substitute made chiefly from vegetable oils.
Well, what can you say about a photo of margarine? Actually, quite a
bit!
Margarine may seem like
a low key, unassuming grocery item, yet controversy swirled around
it during the mid 1900s. When this photo was snapped, though, margarine's
heyday had finally arrived.
1951 was the year in which the federal government stopped its special taxation
of the product.
State taxes and regulations for it also began to fail. During the next twenty
years, consequently, consumption of pre-colored margarine almost doubled.
Powerful dairy
interests had led an influential campaign against margarine's use.
In 1932, for example, the U.S. government hamstrung margarine's popularity
with taxes and licenses. Many states also imposed taxes, licenses,
restrictions, and prohibitions against the manufacture or sale of colored
margarine. (At one time, margarine makers had sold dye with their product.
When mixed in, this would make the white paste a more palatable yellow.)
During the 1940s, nevertheless, margarine manufacturing proved on the
upswing. This was due to production innovations, improved advertising,
a rising awareness of margarine's health benefits, and the shortage of butter
during World War II.
In 1950, numerous headlines kept the margarine issue before the public, and the
federal government began to back down. The states eventually followed
suit, and it isn't surprising that the diary stronghold of
Wisconsin proved the last to repeal margarine restrictions in 1967.
Until the the 1950s, the most popular oleo brands included Parkay, Mazola, Cloverbloom,
Mayflower, Nucoa, Blue Plate, Mrs. Filbert’s,
Imperial, Good Luck, Farmbelle, Shedd’s Safflower, Churngold, Blue
Bonnet, Fleischmann’s, Sunnyland, Nu-Maid, and Table Maid.
During the 1960s, American shoppers saw the introduction of tub margarine and vegetable oil spreads.
And so, there's more to the above picture than first meets the eye.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT..."