Canada reportedly bans Marmite because it has too many vitamins
Marmite already suffers the indignity of being one of the world’s most repulsive—or at least misunderstood—man-made food products. That reputation may be further entrenched now that Canada has reportedly banned imports of the U.K. food paste. That’s what the BBC, The Independent and other British media are saying, and they’re in a bit of a snit about it. “In Canada it is perfectly legal to acquire a firearm and bullets,” The Independent reported on January 23. “But Marmite and Irn-Bru are apparently a threat to the nation’s health.”
Allegations of a Canadian Marmite crackdown originated in Saskatoon, where specialty food store owner Tony Badger’s Marmite imports were reportedly blocked by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency along with a bunch of other European foodstuffs, including Bovril bouillon, Lucozade energy drinks, Ovaltine powder, Irn-Bru soda and Penguin cookie bars. The problem with the products, according to a letter Badger received by the CFIA, was that they were “enriched with vitamins and minerals,” which made them illegal in Canada.
The ban comes as news to Creig Stearne, the owner of Toronto specialty food store Empire By Bullet. He also stocks authentic British Marmite, which is apparently slightly different from the Canadian version available at Loblaws and other big supermarkets. “If the ban goes through, then I guess I’ll have to switch to Canadian Marmite,” Stearne says. So far, he hasn’t heard anything from the CFIA, which has yet to comment publicly on the story.
As of now, it’s unclear whether the Saskatoon seizure was an isolated incident, or whether it could signify the beginning of an official anti-Marmite policy. In the meantime, those partial to vitamin-enriched foreign foodstuffs, no matter how gross they are, should consider stockpiling while they can.
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Marmite already suffers the indignity of being one of the world’s most repulsive—or at least misunderstood—man-made food products. That reputation may be further entrenched now that Canada has reportedly banned imports of the U.K. food paste. That’s what the BBC, The Independent and other British media are saying, and they’re in a bit of a snit about it. “In Canada it is perfectly legal to acquire a firearm and bullets,” The Independent reported on January 23. “But Marmite and Irn-Bru are apparently a threat to the nation’s health.”
Allegations of a Canadian Marmite crackdown originated in Saskatoon, where specialty food store owner Tony Badger’s Marmite imports were reportedly blocked by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency along with a bunch of other European foodstuffs, including Bovril bouillon, Lucozade energy drinks, Ovaltine powder, Irn-Bru soda and Penguin cookie bars. The problem with the products, according to a letter Badger received by the CFIA, was that they were “enriched with vitamins and minerals,” which made them illegal in Canada.
The ban comes as news to Creig Stearne, the owner of Toronto specialty food store Empire By Bullet. He also stocks authentic British Marmite, which is apparently slightly different from the Canadian version available at Loblaws and other big supermarkets. “If the ban goes through, then I guess I’ll have to switch to Canadian Marmite,” Stearne says. So far, he hasn’t heard anything from the CFIA, which has yet to comment publicly on the story.
As of now, it’s unclear whether the Saskatoon seizure was an isolated incident, or whether it could signify the beginning of an official anti-Marmite policy. In the meantime, those partial to vitamin-enriched foreign foodstuffs, no matter how gross they are, should consider stockpiling while they can.){kind=link}
I have seen some dumb things in life, but what’s with Canada?, and Red Bulls is good for you?, why is Canada picking on the British? I think Canada has lost its mind.
What idiocy! Typical of small minded bureaucrats with little to do but dig up some obscure reason for banning products that have stood the test of time and been around longer than all of them have had hot dinners. By their own admission, none of those items banned are in any way life-threatening and contain nothing that can even be remotely connected with anything harmful to the consumer.
These people would be better employed lookng closer to home and working to prevent the almost annual occurence that so tragically takes the lifes of Canadians in townships having to use fatally contaminated water systems.
This proves that Canada needs less government. They have nothing better to do than pick on food that is ‘too healthy”. Mr Cdn politicians: Get outta my life and go *&^% up America.
Or we could all calm down and not rely on news articles with a headline that includes the word ‘reportedly’ when making decisions about how our government should run
“These products have been available on Canadian store shelves for more
than a decade and will continue to be sold in stores across Canada,” the
CFIA said in a statement released Saturday.
“Recently, a shipment containing a number of products imported from the
U.K. was detained in the course of regular border activities because it
contained meat products that were not accompanied by the required
documentation.”
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/marmite-and-irn-bru-are-not-banned-in-canada-agency-says-1.1656150#ixzz2rWeL1Mzj
” The problem with the products, according to a letter Badger received by the CFIA, was that they were “enriched with vitamins and minerals,” which made them illegal in Canada. ” The international reporting in magazines like Toronto Life and newspapers like The Independent, forced the cdn government to ‘react’ with a response. No mention of the meat being “enriched with vitamins and minerals” so yes they were talking about the Marmite. The government in Canada is too fat,
and needs to be trimmed.
I actually agree that the government can and should be trimmed in various ways. My point is that use of this story as ‘proof’ of why the government should be trimmed is a bit far-fetched. For example, the Scottish version of Irn-bru is not allowed in Canada, not because of a vitamin or mineral, but because it contains a food dye called ponceau 4R. This has not been approved in Canada, and has actually been banned in most countries outside of Scotland, due to concerns about it being a carcinogen among other things. Controlling the import of products that are potentially harmful seems to me to be a perfectly legitimate role for the government.
(and because I know this response will come up, yes many things that are let into Canada or produced here probably cause cancer, but that’s no reason to turn a blind eye to the ones that they actually do find concerns with)
Clearly this shows how Canada needs less government. They have nothing better to do than ban foods. They fire all the bureaucrats and replace them with ferrets. Then we’d have cheaper electricity – ferrets don’t need much money to survive and wouldn’t require a union.
IT’S ALL RELATED PEOPLE, READ THE BIBLE
Yet we have items like red bull on the shelves, pastries full of lard/coconut/palm oils, animals (meats) full of hormones, fruits and vegetables full of cancer causing pesticides, most crap full of GMO’s, coke, pepsi and all kinds of sugar, empty calorie laden bottled chemicals. Does this make any sense?
I like Marmite, dammit. HOW DARE THEY?
It doesn’t make sense – but it did take us at least a decade to get Red Bull in Canada because only brown colas could be artificially caffeinated. Before that, energy drinks were all based on guarana and other natural sources, and Mountain Dew was always uncaffeinated.
…then we got the original Thai formula sold as over-the-counter medication, registered with a drug information number, and shortly after that, the government realized how stupid this was and legalized artificially caffeinated drinks.
Thank you! I was specifically searching today because the story sounded so dubious to begin with – I figured some details would have clarified by now.
I am still trying to find out what the ingredients are in the Canada version of Marmite. Marmite was given as a ration to soldiers in WW2. It is rich in b vitamins. I would like to know what all the ingredients are in the British version and in the Canadian. I find it strange that this food product would be banned when things like GMO’s and aspartame are allowed. Plenty of research shows the harm.