Margarine isn’t ‘one molecule away’ from plastic

Margarine is not “one molecule away” from plastic and it doesn’t share 27 ingredients with paint.

This false claim has been circulating online for years but has resurfaced recently on Facebook.

As the website Science-Based Medicine explains: “Margarine contains several different molecules. Plastics are polymers and completely unrelated to anything in margarine.”

Fact checkers at Science Feedback explain: “Margarine and plastic differ in more than one molecule. While both contain a carbon and hydrogen backbone, they are unrelated substances with different chemical compositions and structures.”

Margarine is largely made from vegetable or animal fats and oils along with other ingredients like water, milk products, salt, flavourings, emulsifiers and preservatives. The fatty acids in margarine are largely composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms, as are plastics, but this is where the similarities end. Margarine also contains many more ingredients.

As for the claim about margarine sharing 27 ingredients with paint, many margarines don’t even contain 27 ingredients.

Multiple paint manufacturers agree that paint is made of four key components—pigments, solvents, resins, and additives—the specifics and concentrations of which will vary by brand.

The ingredients in margarine then are very different to those found in paint and we’ve found no evidence that there are 27 ingredients shared by the two products.

False or misleading claims online have the potential to harm individuals and groups, especially if used to make decisions about health. Online claims can spread fast and far, and are difficult to contain and correct.