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

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Bob Ross

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

by Bob Ross » Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:17 pm

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

by Stuart Yaniger » Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:40 pm

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

by Bob Ross » Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:45 pm

A toast spread, axle grease and dingo repellant.

Good at all three. :)
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Re: Don't know whether to laugh or cry -- Vegemite is banned in US.

by Cynthia Wenslow » Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:02 pm

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.
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Mike Filigenzi

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

by Mike Filigenzi » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:55 pm

I'm not crying, that's for sure!



Mike
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Larry Greenly

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

by Larry Greenly » Sun Oct 22, 2006 10:33 pm

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.
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Paul Winalski

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

by Paul Winalski » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:23 am

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.
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Bob Ross

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

by Bob Ross » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:55 am

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.
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David M. Bueker

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

by David M. Bueker » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:42 pm

Vegemite should be banned, if only because of that god-awful Men at Work song...

I come from a land down under...
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Barb Freda

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

by Barb Freda » Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:17 pm

Check it out on snopes...it ain't so...

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

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

by Bob Ross » Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:34 pm

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.
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Larry Greenly

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

by Larry Greenly » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:22 am

Well, at least they got lots of free publicity.

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