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THE US has banned Vegemite, even to the point of searching Australians for jars of the spread when they enter the country. The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite has been deemed illegal under US food laws... Kraft spokeswoman Joanna Scott said: "The (US) Food and Drug Administration doesn't allow the import of Vegemite simply because the recipe does have the addition of folic acid.'' The US was "a minor market'' for Vegemite, she said.

"We thought they were joking but it was real," Fogarty said. "We went down to Montana and were crossing the border, they searched everybody's car as they do and after they searched asked if we were carrying any Vegemite. We were completely shocked. Normally Sarah wouldn't travel far without Vegemite but for some reason we didn't have it." Police recognised the couple as Australians and thought they might be suspects.

It seems that there is no Vegemite ban. My proof of this is the following email from the US Food and Drug Administration:

Dear Mr. Ward:

This email is in response to your inquiry regarding the food product Vegemite. The FDA has not prohibited the importation of Vegemite product. Earlier this year, FDA refused entry to a handful of Vegemite shipments offered for import from Great Britain. The refusals were based on three issues: labeling problems (lack of ingredient list), suspected presence of a color additive not approved for use in food in the United States, and lack of registration of facilities and filing of processes for a low-acid canned food.

I hope that this information answers your questions. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Stephen R. King
Public Affairs Specialist
Food and Drug Administration
6000 xxxxx Drive, Suite 101
Baltimore, MD 21xxx
410-xxx-xxx
fax: 410-xxx-xxx
(contact info edited out, but you can look him up on http://www.fda.gov if you want)

The FDA guy's name is Stephen King? LOL

Accipiter wrote "The California Department of Health Services lists Kraft Vegemite spread under its "Partial List of Tobacco Company Subsidiaries""

This might have happened because Kraft is owned by Altria, which also happens to own phillip morris. So, technically, that would make kraft a tobacco company I guess...

I think the FDA is full of *&%$#!!! and believe it somehow has managed to make it impossible to get in all the places we used to while saying it hasn't banned it--so typical of our current administration. They believe that if they deny something enough times it will become true. In this case it is something relatively innocuous but it still pisses me off(in the US this means "Makes me really angry"). I can't help but think that now that more Americans have become aware of the importance of taking folic acid regularly (as vitamins) whoever manufactures them has gotten petty about the little competition. But it's not like most Americans actually like Vegemite so I don't understand it. I used to get as many as 20 little bottles at a time from the World Market for my husband. As soon as we heard of the ban I rushed to the store to get as much of it as I could but it was too late. They had disappeared and when I asked, the only reason the manager could give me was that the item had been discontinued. Yet they're still selling Marmite! I personally don't like the stuff by my darling Aussie really misses it and won't touch Marmite with a ten foot pole and we don't dare ask of relatives coming to visit to bring it with them given the stories heard about customs.

Why would a US person not understand what "pissed off" means?

The explanation of pissed off was for people outside the US i think, Razela. Although i think that many people have a fair undertstanding of the term.

G'Day,
How much can a koala Bear!!!
Its the sweet taste of home, just had my vegy on crackers and came to learn a little more about all of this, maybe the last thing I ever imagined being made off limits...
Maybe the future just a simple warning on the tube will be enough???

PS It makes my mouth water Happy/Happy/Happy
But you do need to be introduced as a child to it.

Cut the crust of bread spread margarine and vegy then roll it up and cut into to bit size peices.

Childhood memories!!!

Hello. I live in San Jose, California and I went to buy a jar of Vegemite yesterday and the dates on the jars were expired. They checked and said that they had to pull all the jars and California couldn't get the product in anymore. (I loved the stuff). So, I bought a jar of Marmite at the British American store. I made a piece of toast and spread some Marmite on it - thinly. It was delicious. I like both products.

I have only just learned of the ban on vegemite into the US. I had every intention of taking my trusty little jar over there on Friday. Im almost ready to boycot going. Ive got 25 Rugby players going to Canada and the US this week and none of them will be happy.

How stupid banning something that is so good for you. How do we survive for 5 weeks. Ouch. It will kill me.

Indeed, this is a major problem the Aussies will have to deal with. I don't understand why they had to take this decision now, when we all know that they real need it.