America Loves Butter More Than Ever, Probably Because It's Delicious

America is currently in the midst of a torrid love affair with butter, that pale yellow ambrosia that gives toast, baked goods and casseroles of all kinds their addictiveness.

That’s according to the L.A. Times, reporting on numbers from the American Butter Institute, a real organization devoted to the business of butter. That august body says that consumption of the stuff grew 25 percent between 2002 and 2012, when it hit a 40-year high. In 2012 butter consumption per capita reached 5.6 pounds, up from 4.1 in 1997.

The American Butter Institute would have you believe that this surge is due, actually, to increased health consciousness. People are worried about more processed alternatives:

“Consumers are changing their perception of food and looking for healthier alternatives. They’re moving away from highly processed foods and artificial ingredients,” Anuja Miner, executive director of the American Butter Institute, said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Which is as good a reminder as any that just because something is marketed as “natural” doesn’t mean it’s great for you/your arteries.

It’s too soon to tell what impact Paula Deen’s fall from grace will have upon this trend.