An ontarium cafes that fight against Canadian food regulators for permission to continue selling Vegemite now has the support of the Australian Prime Minister.
Leighton Walters, a double Australian Canadian citizen who owns the coffee chain found inspired by Australia located in Toronto and Guelph, was recently ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to eliminate $ 8,000 of Vegemite from its shelves and products.
After an inspection of a shipment that had imported this winter, the CFIA considered that the vegemite does not meet the regulations of Health Canada. Although it is a basic element in Australian households, the propagation of YASTY is enriched with vitamin B, which is only allowed in certain products in Canada.
Walters has stopped selling the product, but is still fighting the decision. After taking its history to the media last week and communicating with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission to obtain help, it has now obtained the support of the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
At a press conference in Australia on Tuesday, journalists asked Albanese if he had a message for Canada in response to the dispute.
“I am with the owner of Australian coffee,” said Albanese. “I love Vegemite. It’s good. I heard the report on that. It is quite strange that they are letting Marmite in, which is garbage, frankly.”
Marite, a similar propagation of yeast made in the United Kingdom that is also enriched with vitamins, was explicitly considered legal for importation by the CFIA in a statement in 2020After a shipment was rejected by mistake.
Albanese did not say if he would communicate with Canadian officials about the decision of the CFIA.
A coffee chain inspired by Australia in Toronto is fighting the rules of Canada’s food regulation after the owner was forced to take Vegemite out of his shelves and menus. Tyler Cheese of CBC has the story.
The CFIA said in a statement on Sunday that Vegemite is not prohibited for sale in Canada, but manufacturers must alter the product to comply with the regulations.
However, the CFIA is not aware of any Vegemite product that occurs to sell in Canada in accordance with Canadian regulations, according to the spokesman.
Since all Vegemite products are enriched with vitamins, that would suggest that the product must be prohibited for sale in Canada. Despite that, the product is available for purchase on the Amazon Canada website and in specialized retailers throughout the country.
A Health Canada spokesman said in an email that the addition of vitamins is limited to certain foods “to help ensure that Canadians obtain sufficient but not excessive amounts of certain nutrients in their diet.”
Walters says he had been selling vegemite jars and offering it in toasted and cakes in his coffees for five years before any problem arose.
Walters told CBC Toronto that CFIA also ordered him to destroy the vegemit that he withdrew from his shelves. The agency’s spokesman denied that in an email on Sunday, saying that Walters was only ordered to remove the product from his shelves.
