For immediate release:

Margarine Makers Win Quebec Colour Battle

July 31, 2008 (Toronto) – Effective today, Canada’s margarine makers can begin selling yellow colour margarine in the province of Quebec following the Quebec government’s withdrawal of its discriminatory margarine colour regulation.  

Since 1987, Quebec law required margarine sold in that province to be coloured white in order to protect local butter producers from competition by forcing margarine makers to sell their product in an unappetizing white, lard-like colour.  

In 2005, at the initiation of the Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada, an internal trade dispute resolution panel sided with Alberta , Manitoba and Saskatchewan and ruled against Quebec , finding that the margarine colour regulation was a trade barrier contrary to the Agreement on Internal Trade.  

“It has taken Quebec three years to comply with the Agreement on Internal Trade panel ruling, but as of today, the province has finally met its outstanding obligation and repealed the discriminatory margarine colour regulation”, said Sean McPhee, President of the Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada.  

VOIC (Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada) is an industry group representing 75,000 oilseed growers across Canada , seed developers, oilseed processors and suppliers of fats and oils to the food industry, and makers of oilseed-based food products, such as margarine, cooking oil, salad dressing, mayonnaise and dessert toppings.  Members include the Canadian Canola Growers Association, Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences, the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, Archer Daniel Midland Agri-Industries Ltd., Bunge Canada, Canbra Foods, Loders Croklaan, Unilever Canada, Rich Products Corporation.

For information:

Sean McPhee

Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada

416-214-1232