Margarine comment provokes response

Otago Daily Times

24-07-2025

In pointing out the gap in price between butter and margarine, a Southland MP has reminded people that dairy alternatives are a cheaper option.
In response, a head baker at a Gore bakery said there was no comparison, while a Southern farmer said in a cost-of-living crisis, he understood the public's need to diversify.
Southland MP Joseph Mooney posted a photo on social media this week showing the $5 difference between a tub of margarine and a more expensive block of butter.
"Interesting to compare the current price of 500 grams of margarine vs butter," he said. "I've always preferred butter myself, but great to have choices."
Margarine was not an appropriate alternative for Oven Fresh Bakery head baker Ella O'Brien, who said it did not taste the same.
For the bakery's baked goods, "nothing" beat butter, which got its flavour and "salt factor" from its milk solids, she said.
Federated Farmers Southland dairy chairman Bart Luijten said he understood the MP's statement, and that the price of dairy products was outside of farmers' control.
"It's a shame that the butter is the price that it is, but that's just a reflection of the international prices," he said.
This follows Minister of Finance Nicola Willis saying, after a talk with Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell on Tuesday, the price of butter was due to its global demand.
Ms O'Brien said even in the past week, she had noticed the cost of her essential ingredients had increased, following another significant price hike two months ago.
Because of that, the selling price of the bakery's baked goods had gone up, which both she and her customers were unhappy with.
"It sucks," she said.
"Because we know just as much as everybody else that the cost of living is horrific at the moment."
It made about 80kg of pastry a day and for that it had to use a butter alternative, otherwise the cost would be too high, Ms O'Brien said.
"In a perfect world, [butter] would be the best option."
But for one style of pastry alone, the bakery would be using more than 12kg of butter.
"It would be ridiculous, pies would probably be $15 each."
She had a supplier who had offered a "butter alternative" which cost, per kg, less than about 450g of butter and tasted "all right" — but not the same.
The Southland MP's comments were a bit "let them eat cake", Ms O'Brien said.
"It's easy for them to say.
"They can afford all the butter in the world."
Mr Mooney said Southland was lucky as it produced dairy products that were in high demand globally, which fed back into the local economy.
"Our regional economy is stronger than some other parts of New Zealand due to the strength of the dairy sector."
The down side was that the price of butter, for the average consumer, was high.
"Our dairy's in demand, which is helping hold up our economy ... including our local economy, which is hugely important for us," Mr Mooney said.
[e-mail]