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Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:17 pm
by Bob Ross
Courier Mail.

I developed a taste for this yeasty delight on a trip to Australia some time ago. Just a memory now, until I can return.

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:40 pm
by Stuart Yaniger
Biohazard.

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:45 pm
by Bob Ross
A toast spread, axle grease and dingo repellant.

Good at all three. :)

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:02 pm
by Cynthia Wenslow
Oh my! There are several Aussies in residence currently at my workplace. If I tell them about this they will be out scouring all the shops to scoop up the last of it. Addicted they are.

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:55 pm
by Mike Filigenzi
I'm not crying, that's for sure!



Mike

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 10:33 pm
by Larry Greenly
It's an odd reason that it's banned. It's because it contains folate and, in the U.S., folate can be added only to breads and cereals. The rationale is that the folate can mask the symptoms of B-12 deficiency.

I'm sure there still some on shelves. And what about Marmite, which is similar? I've eaten Marmite, which I rather liked, on crackers--but it's an acquired taste.

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:23 am
by Paul Winalski
Larry Greenly wrote:It's an odd reason that it's banned. It's because it contains folate and, in the U.S., folate can be added only to breads and cereals. The rationale is that the folate can mask the symptoms of B-12 deficiency.

I'm sure there still some on shelves. And what about Marmite, which is similar? I've eaten Marmite, which I rather liked, on crackers--but it's an acquired taste.


I don't understand. Folate isn't added to Vegemite--it's a natural constituent of the sticky mess, no? And last time I looked, folic acid (i.e., folate) was prized as a supplement for expectant mothers, to prevent spina bifida.

So now it's being banned because it masks perinicous anemia (cobalamin [B12] intrinsic factor deficiency)? Well, la-di-da--B12 is a component of all major multivitamins.

This case against Vegemite looks even more feeble than the "weapons of mass destruction" argument that led us to go into Iraq.

Fah!

-Paul W.

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:55 am
by Bob Ross
The Herald Sun has drafted a model letter of protest to President Bush:

Dear President Bush, Australians have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Americans throughout a century of conflict. From our Diggers and your Doughboys enduring the mud and blood of the Western Front to the crusade against Hitler and Tojo, to Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, Australia has been a stalwart U.S. ally. Yet today that alliance is threatened, not by despots and terror, but by the high-handed actions of your Food and Drug Administration, which has banned the importation, purchase and consumption of our beloved breakfast spread, Vegemite. Mr. President, this is serious. Italians have pasta, Germans love a sausage, the Brits would be lost without their baked beans, and your fellow countrymen revere mom's apple pie. Well, we Australians thrive on Vegemite, which is not only sensational on toast but promotes good health as well. Tear down this ban, Mr. President! Allow Australians living in your country full and unfettered access to Vegemite, the spread of champions. Don't allow the food fascists of the FDA to jeopardise the respect and admiration that has long characterised relations between our two proud nations. Yours sincerely,

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/ ... 61,00.html

I must say, however, that this little flap has some earmarks of a scam. About Australia, the US store that offers Australian foods and supposedly was forced to stop importing the product last year, is still offering it. Search on vegemite in the top left box -- $3.95 for a 115 gram jar.

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:42 pm
by David M. Bueker
Vegemite should be banned, if only because of that god-awful Men at Work song...

I come from a land down under...

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:17 pm
by Barb Freda
Check it out on snopes...it ain't so...

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/vegemite.asp[/url]

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:34 pm
by Bob Ross
Thanks, Barb. It was a fun thread for awhile until I saw that it was still for sale -- by the shop that supposedly suffered from the ban.

Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:22 am
by Larry Greenly
Well, at least they got lots of free publicity.