Denmark: Don't Try to Spread This on Your Toast

Danes ban Marmite, and Brits are outraged
By Sarah Whitmire,  Newser Staff
Posted May 25, 2011 5:16 PM CDT
Denmark Bans Yeast Spread Marmite, Beloved by Brits
A squeezable plastic jar of Marmite is seen in London, Thursday, April 22, 2010.   (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Denmark has been compiling quite a blacklist of illicit products in recent years, and another culprit has just been added—Britain's beloved Marmite. The potent, dark brown spread made from brewer's yeast has a high amount of vitamin B, which means it runs afoul of a 2004 Danish law restricting vitamin-fortified foods. It joins products such as Rice Krispies, Shreddies, and Ovaltine on the no-no list, reports the Telegraph. Brits in the country are outraged. (See some sample tweets here.)

"They don't like it because it's foreign," says a Yorkshire native working in Copenhagen. "But if they want to take my Marmite off me, they'll have to wrench it from my cold dead hands." Denmark’s food law states that any foods with the "addition of vitamins, minerals and other substances" must be first approved for sale by authorities, explains the Telegraph. Health officials were concerned that excess amounts of vitamins and minerals could harm kids and pregnant women. (More Denmark stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X