A health trend that has seen shoppers reject low-fat margarine in favor of traditional butter could be putting lives at risk, a leading food researcher says.
Last week, Waitrose revealed that sales of block butter had increased over the past year and now outsold alternative spreads by more than 20 per cent.
He said this was largely due to growing awareness about ultra-processed foods containing artificial additives such as emulsifiers and preservatives.
There are also concerns about seed oils, such as rapeseed and sunflower, used in many spreads.
This month, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the new US health secretary, claimed that seed oils are “poisoning” people.
But Professor Sarah Berry, a researcher at King’s College London and chief scientist at popular diet app Zoe, says studies show spreads are much healthier than traditional butter.
Last week, Waitrose revealed that sales of block butter had increased over the past year and now outsold alternative spreads by more than 20 per cent. Image: butter stock image

Professor Sarah Berry, a researcher at King’s College London and chief scientist at popular diet app Zoe, said: “There has been a huge increase in butter consumption due to the belief that it is more natural than spreadable, so which is better for us.” Image: Stock Image
“There has been a huge increase in butter consumption due to the belief that it is more natural than spreadable, so it is better for us,” he says.
‘But this argument does not stand up to scrutiny. We know that lard is natural, but no one is suggesting that we consume it several times a day.’
Every year, around 175,000 people in the UK die from cardiovascular disease, one of the causes of which is high cholesterol, a fatty plaque that blocks blood vessels.
Research shows that switching from butter to spreads, which mix butter with vegetable or seed oil, leads to lower cholesterol levels, which means fewer heart attacks.
But social media influencers, such as American podcast host Joe Rogan, have claimed that the seed and vegetable oils used as spreads are harmful.
“Not only is (vegetable oil) terrible for you, but it contains no nutrients, so your body is hungrier,” he said on his podcast with nearly 15 million listeners.
But Professor Berry says: “Scary stories about spreads are based on the belief that everything that is processed is bad, but we know that is not true.”
“All the evidence shows that switching from butter to a typical spread containing vegetable or seed oil reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.”