In the late 1800s, oleomargarine (margarine) was a new product that was seen as a threat to undercut the established dairy industry and replace butter. The dairy industry tried a variety of tactics to battle the burgeoning margarine trade. First, a few states passed laws requiring that oleomargarine be strictly labeled and branded, often under penalty of imprisonment. This did not do much, as a spokesman for margarine producers observed, “. . . As oleomargarine is a pure and wholesome article of food, possessing all the qualities of good dairy butter, the people have overlooked the name and have decided to eat it.”