Vegemite Banned in the US
Just thought I should flag this in case any of our Aussie Dwellars decided to holiday in the States next year. Don't pack your Vegemite, it'll be confiscated!
From many sources,
including here:
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.
The great Aussie icon - faithfully carried around the world by travellers from downunder - contains folate, which under a technicality, America allows to be added only to breads and cereals.
Glad my government is working hard to protect me.
You should be grateful. It's nasty stuff, even if it is fabled in song.
Oh for #$*'s sake :3_eyes:
OK, I'll bite... what is folate? And why is it so evil?
OK, I'll bite... what is folate?
A nutrient vital to reproductive functions.
I'll eat just about anything. Except vegamite. No worries, mate - once US demand is taken out of the equation, the price will drop.
Then there's always the black-market - the seemy underworld of vegamite dealers and those whose very existance is controlled by them.
Until this latest kerfluffle, I had not known that Vegemite is made from yeast. From the name, one would have thought ot was made from..well...vegetables.
Nobody would eat something called "yeast butter", I suppose.
Although I'm not the biggest advocate for vegemite, there are benefits to eating it, such as the boost to vitamin B in the system which is why it's a product eaten for breakfast and given to children.
As to it being taken off the market in the US, that's nothing more than politics thanks to the cereal and grain growers association, seeing as in the US they're the only group allowed to add folate to their products.
I'd lay money on vegemite being available in the US again before too long...minus the folate.
Darn! And I was so dependent on Aussies bringing vegemite with them to get a taste! It is good stuff, if a bit salty.
Just spread it thinly. ;)
Thats the prob, you guys just dont know how to eat the bloody stuff. Its devine if its done juuuuusssttt right.
I mean seriously, do you think so many kids would eat it if it was that nasty????
OFGS! Ridiculous!
And I like Vegemite, preferring it over Marmite, spread thinly across buttered toast. Properly handled, obnoxious turns to piquant.
The irony of it all is that vegemite is owned by the US. Vegemite is made by Kraft which is owned by none other than Phillip Morris (the cigarette Company).
I mean seriously, do you think so many kids would eat it if it was that nasty????
Let's see... Kool-Aid, Cocoa Puffs, Cheez Whiz, hot dogs... Yes, I do believe kids eat the nastiest things.
is Vegemite REALY banned in the US? what is the stuff that they are selling on EBay?
Not everyone who buys or sells things on eBay is in America...
i understand that, but it would seem that the postal service would not allow vegemite to come into the country if it were banned.....it would be like saying that since marijuana is ok in amsterdam that you could buy it on ebay and have them mail it to you from amsterdam.?????
maybe i'm missing something...is it ok to send vegemite by mail, but not carry it with you on the plane from austalia?
i understand that, but it would seem that the postal service would not allow vegemite to come into the country if it were banned.....it would be like saying that since marijuana is ok in amsterdam that you could buy it on ebay and have them mail it to you from amsterdam.?????
maybe i'm missing something...is it ok to send vegemite by mail, but not carry it with you on the plane from austalia?
No, it would be illegal for you to have vegemite shipped to you via US mail. But it's not eBay's responsibility to figure out if you're an Aussie or an American. An Aussie can sell it to an Aussie over eBay, and they don't care. It's
your problem to figure out if it happens to be illegal in your country, and decide whether to risk it.
Then, Aliantha, I look for Kraft's legal department to do something to rectify this terrible injustice! ;)
Yeah, they'll just take the folate out of it and then they can sell it in the US again. :)
I wonder if Kraft has the financial motivation to fight the FDA, or whomever it is that determines if vegemite is going to kill us. the total sales in the united states of vegemite probably does not provide enough income for Kraft to justify the expense of fighting our beloved bureaucracy. we can only hope that the american public raises a hue and cry to be heard around the world that restores our right to buy vegemite. personaly, i never wanted it until i couldn't get it
...the total sales in the united states of vegemite probably does not provide enough income...
The real question is: how will this affect
Men At Work album sales?
It's nothing compared to the upheaval when the EU started regulating some of the members favorite foods. :lol:
It IS nothing. It was a rumor and is now shown to be false.
FDA denies ban on Vegemite imports
A representative of Kraft Foods -- which makes Vegemite -- reportedly told the media that the FDA did not allow imports of the spread because of its folic acid content.
So a representative at Kraft foods is either a moron, or a brilliant marketer. Talk about free publicity. With a product like Vegemite, that has a tiny market, you could see its market double over this.
FDA denies ban on Vegemite imports
NOW, what am I going to do with the 10 cases of vegemite that I had smuggled into the US at 5 times the normal price!!!!!!!
Yay...so now you can all stop worrying about not being able to have proper breaky. :)
I tried this goop once and only once , EWWWWW !!!!
you probably did it wrong Zippy
See... a lot of firsts can be that way!
NOW, what am I going to do with the 10 cases of Vegemite (tm, you know) that I had smuggled into the US at 5 times the normal price!!!!!!!
I think that's known as "eating it," Bob. :3eye: Start making toast...
