"Margarine was created for an 1869 competition, but if you're a champion of real butter, you're in good company. The dairy-centric state of Wisconsin (and several others) made it illegal to make or sell margarine, and it was controversial in an epic way. It's a sentence that we never expected to write, but margarine smugglers who crossed state lines to bring back illicit margarine became such a problem that law enforcement got involved."
"In 1964, the Wisconsin Federation of Women's Clubs became one of the most outspoken pro-margarine groups, and Wisconsin became the last state to legalize margarine in 1967. It's still illegal for restaurants - as well as school and institutional cafeterias - to serve only margarine. Interestingly, it might not be over yet."
"Many of the oft-repeated stories about bizarre food laws - like the one about Connecticut pickles needing to pass the bounce test - aren't actually laws, but stories that took on a life of their own. We're not going to include those, and instead, we're only talking about legit laws that actually made it into the books. Truth, it turns out, is stranger than fiction."
Margarine laws have been used to regulate food and drink in ways that reflect strong public preferences and political pressure. Margarine was created in 1869, but Wisconsin and other dairy-focused states made it illegal to make or sell margarine. Cross-state smuggling became a significant problem, leading to law enforcement involvement. In 1964, the Wisconsin Federation of Women’s Clubs became a prominent pro-margarine group. Wisconsin legalized margarine in 1967, but restrictions remained, including continued illegality for restaurants and school or institutional cafeterias to serve only margarine. New legislation in 2025 proposed further limits on margarine sales.
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