“Margarine is one molecule away from plastic and shares 27 ingredients with paint. Bon appetit!”

“Margarine is one molecule away from plastic and shares 27 ingredients with paint. Bon appetit!” is a saying that has been printed on many images. The statement has been fact-checked and has been detemined to be incorrect.
 
“Margarine is one molecule away from plastic and shares 27 ingredients with paint. Bon apetit” was posted on X/Twitter by TALIA HANCOCK on April 21, 2012. “Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC…  and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT” was posted on Facebook by Spring Creek Athletic Club on May 4, 2014. “Margarine is ONE MOLECULE away from Plastic; and shares 27 ingredients with Paint. Bon Appetit !” was posted on X/Twitter by Little Finger™ on January 5, 2018. It’s not known who originated this meme.
 
The meme is often accompanied by other statements against margarine and in favor of butter.  Although the main statement is factually incorrect, it may be correct that butter is better for one’s health than margarine.
 
 
Wikipedia: Margarine
Margarine (/ˈmɑːrdʒəriːn/, also UK: /ˈmɑːrɡə-, ˌmɑːrɡəˈriːn, ˌmɑːrdʒə-/, US: /ˈmɑːrdʒərɪn/ ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was originally named oleomargarine from Latin for oleum (olive oil) and Greek margarite (“pearl”, indicating luster). The name was later shortened to margarine.
 
X/Twitter
TALIA HANCOCK
@taliahancock
Margarine is one molecule away from plastic and shares 27 ingredients with paint. Bon apetit.
8:44 PM · Apr 21, 2012
 
Facebook
Spring Creek Athletic Club
May 4, 2014 at 1:52 PM ·
Interesting Fact !!!
Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC…  and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT.
Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area.  Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:
*  no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)
*  it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value ;  nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow.
     
X/Twitter
Little Finger™
@Mwetich_G
Margarine is ONE MOLECULE away from Plastic; and shares 27 ingredients with Paint.
Bon Appetit !
2:56 PM · Jan 5, 2018
 
X/Twitter
ARSENIO ANTONIO
@nagelguru
MARGARINE is ONE MOLECULE away from Plastic; and
shares 27 ingredients with Paint.
Bon Appetit !
😒
12:41 AM · Jan 6, 2018
 
X/Twitter
Omer Naveed Quereysh
@Omernaveed2
Margarine is ONE MOLECULE away from Plastic; and
shares 27 ingredients with Paint.
Bon Appetit !
9:07 AM · Jan 8, 2018
 
Reddit—Chemistry
Kyle_brown—February 21, 2018
Is margarine really one molecule away from being plastic?
I’ve heard margarine is horrible for you compared to butter, but recently I was told that it was only one molecule away from plastic which I thought sounded a little off. In the end though, one molecule CAN make a huge difference.
COMMENTS
Indemnity4
Not even close.
Chemically, butter and margarine are basically the same product.
BTW, water is one molecule away from being a plastic.
 
X/Twitter
andrea van de Kleut
@AKleut
Margarine is ONE MOLECULE away from Plastic; and
shares 27 ingredients with Paint.
Bon Appetit !
9:19 AM · Jan 6, 2019
   
X/Twitter
Ban Fayaz DukeofIkoroduland
@ade12care
Margarine is ONE MOLECULE away from plastic; and shares 27 ingredients with paint… 😯
Bon Appetit!😞
11:51 PM · Aug 27, 2023
· 
X/Twitter
Wildred1976⚔️🇺🇲🌿
@wildred1976
Margarine is one molecule away from plastic & shared 27 ingredients with paint .      Bon appetit! 
#fDAsucks #margarine
(This is shown on an image.—ed.)
6:17 PM · Jan 18, 2024