Over the period 1971 to 1997 as a whole, there was a slight decline in the consumption of butter and margarine and a corresponding rise in the consumption of low-fat spreads.Butter was the most popular fat at the beginning of the period, and consumption reached a peak of about 150 grams per person per week in about 1975.since then, there has been a steady decline in 1981, the consumption of margarine exceeded that of the butter for the first time, but since 1987 there has been a marked fall in the consumption of margarine.low fat spreads introduced in about 1984, and there has been a steady increase in their consumption since then, so that by about 1994, they were more popular than butter and margarine.