Margarine Makers Spreading the Latest Word

Margarine makers have fought unsuccessfully for 50 years to convince dubious consumers that their product tastes as good as butter. And in recent years they’ve been trying to reverse a sales slide driven by claims that butter substitutes aren’t much better than butter for preventing clogged arteries. Margarine makers Unilever NV and Nabisco Holdings Corp. now are promoting Promise and Fleischmann’s spreads that are free of fat that some researchers say causes high cholesterol and eventually, coronary disease. Manufacturers also say the new blends taste better than butter.