In a dairy spread (800 g lipid/kg, 10 g salt/kg) based on 750 g milk fat/kg and 250 g rapeseed oil/kg fat in 15 g extruded catering packaging, there was a more significant accumulation of cholesterol oxidation products than in butter (minimum 800 g lipid/kg, 12 g salt/kg) in 10 g extruded catering packaging when stored at 4 or at 20 °C. There was a lag phase of 7 weeks in cholesterol oxidation in dairy spread stored at 4 °C, while no lag phase was observed for storage at 20 °C. Total concentrations of oxysterols were, however, very similar for dairy spread stored at 4 and 20 °C after 13 weeks storage (∼ 12 μg/g milk lipid); storage at – 18 °C almost prevented cholesterol oxidation (∼ 4 μg/g milk lipid). For butter, cholesterol oxidation was less pronounced at 4 °C (< 3 μg/g milk lipid) than at – 18 °C (∼ 4 μg/g milk lipid) and 20 °C (∼ 7 μg/g milk lipid). 7-Ketocholesterol was the dominant oxidation product, with 1·3 and 5·7 μg/g milk lipid in butter and dairy spread respectively after 13 weeks storage at 4 °C.