In 1948 margarine was legalized in Canada after it had previously been banned and only allowed during war time because of food shortages between 1917 to 1923. The margarine ban was first established because Canadians and the federal government felt they needed to protect the domestic Canadian butter market from competitive butter substitutes. Many Farmers working in Canada’s dairy industry were afraid that allowing margarine would lead to a decline in butter sales. In 1946, one year after the allies’ victory in the Second World War, Senator W.D. Euler proclaimed that it was important for Canada to end the ban on margarine as it was time to allow Canadians to have a free choice between butter and margarine. Two years later this ban was lifted, and one year later the Margene cookbook was published. It is significant that the book came out at this point in Canadian history because it shows not only the social changes happening in the country, but how American culture was influencing Canada. Canadians wanted to have the choice to buy a cheaper alternative to butter like the Americans and the ending of the ban and subsequent publishing of the Margene cookbook is one example of how Canadian culture was influenced by America.

Along with the influence from American culture and cuisine, this book was also likely pushed into publication because Canadians wanted cheaper groceries. Many Canadians could not afford the high costs of butter and needed a cheaper alternative. When the margarine ban was lifted it was important for companies to promote margarine and make the public aware of this cheaper alternative. The cookbook was used not only as an advertisement tool, but also to show people how they could use Margene in many different recipes and save money while doing so.

Canada was also becoming an increasingly diverse country after the Second World War. In 1947 Prime Minister Mackenzie King stated that immigration was vital for Canada’s growth and many people who had been displaced from their homes after the war in Europe migrated to Canada. Hundreds of thousands of Europeans came to Canada and the country became a much more ethnically diverse country. This new diversity is reflected in the cookbook through a variety of different recipes, such as the Southern Fried Chicken. These recipes show that Canada Packers Ltd. knew the book needed to appeal to the increasingly diverse country.

The Margene cookbook was also published because Canadians wanted to eat healthier. Cookbook seems to have been created to promote the new ingredient but it also tries to promote Margene as a healthy choice. To do this the cookbook uses two strategies; the first can be seen on the cover of the cookbook where it states that Margene contains both Vitamin A and D. The second, can be seen on the inside cover, is a stamp that says the cookbook is tested and approved by the Chatelaine Institute. Chatelaine was a very popular magazine for Canadian women at the time. The Chatelaine stamp of approval and the vitamins in Margene combined to give the reader of the time a sense that these recipes and meals included in the cookbook were a healthy choice. Although these recipes and margarine may not have been healthier than butter like Canadians may have thought from the cookbook, it still shows a change of wanting to eat healthier. In 1942 Health Canada published ‘Canada’s First Official Food Rules' which sought to improve the health of Canadians during the wartime. This first publication is a clear indicator that Canadians were starting to become more aware of what they were eating and looking to make healthier choices. In 1949 the third Canada Food Guide was published titled ‘Canada’s Food Rules’ and it states that “growing persons and expectant mothers” should consume 400 international units of Vitamin D per day. The cookbook shows that Margene does have Vitamin D so consumers at this time may have seen Margene and the recipes in the cookbook as a good way to get theirs or their children’s needed Vitamin D.