More Aussies are choosing butter over margarine, Roy Morgan Research
A new Roy Morgan Research study has found Australians have a growing taste for butter.
According to Roy Morgan Research, in the 12 months ended the June 2016, 54.7 per cent of Australian grocery buyers purchased butter at least once in an average four-week period.
This is a substantial increase on the 47.2 per cent who brought butter in the 12 months ended June 2012.
By contrast, only 44.6 per cent of people brought margarine at least once a month in the 12 months ended June 2016. This is a 20 per cent decrease on June 2012 figures.
Approximately 30 per cent of Australians brought dairy spreads or butter blends at least once a month in the 12 months ended June 2016, roughly the same amount who purchased the product in 2012.
The butter boom: Australian grocery buyers’ changing habits
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Aust), July 2015-June 2016, n=6,138. Base: Australian grocery buyers 14+
Australia’s most popular brands
Roy Morgan Research discovered Australia’s first preference when it comes to butter, margarine and other spreads, is private label products.
Nuttelex, Devondale and Western Star were however among the most popular brand name choices.
Top-selling margarine, butter, and butter blend/dairy spread brands
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Aust), July 2015-June 2016, n=5,046. Base: Australian grocery buyers 14+who purchased margarine/butter/dairy spreads in last 4 weeks
But which option is healthier?
Norman Morris, Industry Communications Director at Roy Morgan Research, said opinion is divided on whether margarine or butter is healthier for you.
“The argument is too complex to go into here: suffice it to say that, while butter was once considered the bad guy for its saturated fat content, it has since gained ground at the expense of margarine, which has recently been under scrutiny for being too processed,” Morris said.
“Certainly, Roy Morgan data shows that the trend towards butter over margarine continues to build, with more grocery buyers choosing the former over the latter. However, it also suggests that many Australians are hedging their bets to a certain extent, buying both,” he said.
