Australian PM says he is ‘pro-Vegemite’ after Canada bans it from cafés
- A chain of cafés in Canada has been forced to remove Vegemite from its shelves by authorities.
- Australian national Leighton Walters has been importing the spread for five years.
- However, authorities say that Vegemite contains a vitamin that is banned in the country.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is standing behind the owner of a Canadian café after the Vegemite they sold in their stores was banned by authorities.
Leighton Walters, an Australian national living in Toronto, has been importing jars of the popular Australian spread to sell in his cafés for five years, CBC reported.
However, Walters has been forced to remove the product from his shelves after Canadian food authorities determined it did not meet Health Canada regulations.
In an email, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said that Vegemite had added vitamins which were not permitted in Canada.
“The Vegemite product being sold was found to have added vitamins which are not permitted in this product as per the Food and Drug Regulations and is therefore not permitted to be sold in Canada,” they said.
The decision has left Walters confused.
“Pulling Vegemite off our shelves hits at the core and the heart of our brand,” he said.
“It’s an iconic Australian product ... we’ve been so proud to serve it to thousands and tens of thousands of Australians, Canadians, travellers and tourists.”
The ban drew the attention of Albanese, who described himself as “pro-Vegemite” while out on the campaign trail on Tuesday.
“I stand with the Aussie café owner ... I can confirm here today that I am pro-Vegemite. And, indeed, I actually put a lot of Vegemite on my toast when I ate bread.”
“I did hear the report on that. It’s rather odd that they’re letting Marmite in – which is rubbish, frankly. Let’s be clear here. Pro-Vegemite, anti-Marmite. That’s my position,” Albanese said.
Invented in Australia, Vegemite was first sold in 1923 and is also sold in New Zealand.
It is often debated whether Vegemite or Marmite is the more popular spread. In a 2017 Stuff poll, 53% of respondents said they preferred Marmite.
In 2022, Foodstuffs said they sold twice as much Marmite as Vegemite.
Share