Provincial cabinet sources told The Gazette a secret vote was held last month, and the decision was made to allow the vegetable oil industry to color its margarine as all other places in Canada do.

Dairy lobbyists have long said yellow margarine could be mistaken for butter.

Canada's federal government banned the sale of all margarine in 1886, but the Supreme Court lifted the ban in 1948. Various other provinces and territories subsequently lifted yellow coloring laws, but Quebec kept the restriction on the books in deference to its 14,000 dairy farmers.

In 2005, Quebec agriculture inspectors raided four Quebec City-area Wal-Mart stores to seize 72 plastic tubs of yellow margarine accidentally shipped to the province, the report said.

A Quebec Agriculture Ministry spokesman said the news will be officially given at a Quebec City meeting.

From the July 21, 2008, Prepared Foods e-Flash