3. Low-fat butters and blended fats

These products were first developed in Europe, in 1974, on the initiative of Sweden and Germany. They were not marketed in France until 1980 (Saint-Hubert 41). Initially, these products were classified by regulations as products for special dietary use, meaning that their fat content was half that of butter. A few years later, regulations (Decree of December 30 1988) clarified what was, to say the least, a diffuse consumer offering. Indeed, in the 1990s, without any obvious distinction, mixed products, purely dairy products and purely vegetable products were on the market, with fat contents of 25, 30, 40, 41 and 62%.