PEOPLE

With the release of a recent U.S. Agriculture Department study which raises a question about the safety of margarine, the Southeast Missourian asked people for their reaction to the study and what they prefer to spread on their bread.

Sue Floyd: "I do use margarine. What I would do is look more closely at the type of oil that is used in the margarine I would buy next time I go to the store. Industry listens to the people, so I think they will change since people are more health conscious now."

Sabrina Tate: "I don't put anything on my bread. Butter has too much fat in it. I don't use margarine either. Not even jelly. Nothing at all. I don't even have any in my house. I sometimes eat rolls when I go out, but I have them plain."

Sarah Holt: "I don't use butter or margarine. I don't get enough out of it. There is not enough taste for the number of calories. I would rather get my calories from cake. I use honey or peanut butter on bread and muffins. Peanut butter makes me think I'm a kid."

Michael Johnson: "I use butter, and maybe some jelly to go with it. I use butter sparingly, because I am more concerned about my health than I was when I was younger. If margarine is around, I would use it, but I prefer butter. I have cut back on it, though."

Cathy Cheek: "We use margarine, because the fat content is less than real butter. I look for the lowest saturated fat content. I think ours is three grams of fat per teaspoon. We also use jelly. I spend more time at the grocery store than I used to because I read everything."

Milton Ueleke: "We do very little spreading on our bread, but when we do, it's margarine. We use jelly occasionally. The study by the USDA doesn't scare me, because we don't use that much margarine. It's a tempest in a teapot."