Apparently a big deal: Denmark bans Marmite?


So, Marmite. Serious business.

Talk of a Marmite ban has, according to the BBC, sparked calls for “civil disobedience” in Denmark if it goes ahead. The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries held up sales of the spread within the borders of the country for product safety concerns under regulations about vitamin-enhanced foods.

A Danish official has said that no applications have been received for the product, so the agency has neither “forbidden or accepted” Marmite as a legally-sold food. But “procedural checks” for Marmite could keep it off the market for six months. Tom Denyard, marketing manager for Marmite, commented:

“We are sad to hear reports that our devoted fans may not be able to purchase Marmite in Denmark. We’re looking into ways to ensure our Marmite lovers will not be left without their beloved spread.”

The BBC quoted British nutritionist Melanie Brown, who said that the ban on Marmite could be “counterproductive” health-wise:

“Marmite plays such a useful part in many people’s diet, and in my practice it’s incredibly useful for older people…who are short in vitamin B12.

“It’s full of folic acid, and there’s lots of evidence that many women, young women of child-bearing age are deficient in folic acid,” she said.

Marmite isn’t the only fortified product to run afoul of Denmark’s strict rules about vitamins- Ovaltine was pulled from the country, and Kellogg’s yanked some cereals after the regulations went into effect in 2004.

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