The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has ordered a café in Toronto to remove Vegemite from its menu and shelves, leaving the Australian-Canadian owner stunned.
Leighton Walters, the man behind Found Coffee in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood, said the CFIA contacted him, claiming that Vegemite is not a compliable product due to its added B vitamins and folic acid.
“It feels like a double standard because I could go to a grocery store, and I can buy a loaf of bread with folic acid in it,” said Walters.
In the late 1990s, Canada mandated that white flour and other grain products be fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of B-vitamin folate, to help prevent neural tube defects. That’s personal for Walters, who was born with spina bifida and is currently in hospital receiving treatment.
A deficiency in folate during early pregnancy increases the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects.
“By providing Vegemite to the community, I’m minimizing the chance of anyone else having to live with my condition and go through anything that I’ve been through so that they can be happy, healthy children,” Walters said.
Australia’s Prime Minister addresses Vegemite controversy
Vegemite, created in Melbourne during the 1920s as an Australian answer to the British spread of Marmite, is made mainly from yeast extract. Its long-standing cultural significance has prompted the Australian Prime Minister to weigh in on the debate.
“I stand with the Aussie café owner [in Toronto]; I can confirm here today that I am pro-Vegemite,” said Anthony Albanese.
Those who frequent Found Coffee in Toronto echo the sentiment.
“It makes people happy. It’s a little piece of home,” one woman said.
“I am sad that it’s going to be banned,” said another Toronto resident. “It’s an acquired taste that you need to grow into, but once you get it, you get it. That’s a good life lesson in general.”
Meanwhile, Walters said we should celebrate Canada’s beauty and diversity.
“We shouldn’t be finding ways to push culture out.”
When CityNews asked if Vegemite’s prohibition at the Toronto location would last, a spokesperson from the CFIA repeated that “the Vegemite formulation that was sold at the café does not meet Canadian requirements established by Health Canada.”
“Vegemite is not banned in Canada, but the product needs to comply with Canadian regulations for food safety, including fortification requirements and labelling,” the statement read.
Walters said he currently has $8,000 worth of imported Vegemite that he has to get rid of. The Australian product is still available to purchase on Amazon Canada.
