Inception | 1922 |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Bega Group |
Website | http://www.vegemite.com.au/ |
Vegemite ( /ˈvɛdʒimaɪt/ VEJ-uh-myte) [1] [2] is a thick, dark brown [3] Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives. It was developed by Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1922, and it was first sold in stores on 25 October 1923.
A spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits as well as a filling for pastries, Vegemite is similar to British Marmite, New Zealand Marmite, Australian Promite, MightyMite, AussieMite, OzEmite, German Vitam-R, and Swiss Cenovis.
Vegemite has a strong flavour. It is salty, slightly bitter, malty, and has an umami flavour similar to beef bouillon (because it is rich in glutamates). It is low FODMAP, vegan, kosher, and halal. [4] It is known for being high in B vitamins.
The Vegemite brand returned to Australian ownership in 2017 when the Bega Group purchased it alongside other assets from Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Inc.). [5]
In 1919, following the disruption of British Marmite imports after World War I, the Australian company Fred Walker & Co. gave Cyril Callister the task of developing a spread from the used yeast being dumped by breweries. Callister had been hired by the chairman Fred Walker. [6]
Callister used autolysis to break down the yeast cells from waste obtained from the Carlton & United brewery. Concentrating the clear liquid extract and blending with salt, celery and onion extracts formed a sticky black paste. [7]
Following a competition to name the new spread with a prize pool of £A50 (equivalent to $4,449in 2022), "Vegemite" was selected by Fred Walker's daughter Sheilah, [8] and it was registered as a trademark in Australia in 1919; the name of the person who coined the name is not known. [9]
Vegemite first appeared on the market in 1923 with advertising emphasising the value of Vegemite to children's health, but it failed to sell well. [10] Faced with growing competition from Marmite, from 1928 to 1935 the product was renamed "Parwill" to make use of the advertising slogan "Marmite but Parwill", a two-step pun on the new name and that of its competitor; i.e. "If Ma [mother] might... then Pa [father] will." This attempt to expand market share was unsuccessful and the name reverted to Vegemite, but it did not recover its lost market share. [11]
In 1925, Walker had established the Kraft Walker Cheese Co. as a joint venture company with J.L. Kraft & Bros to market processed cheese and, following the failure of Parwill, in 1935 he used the success of Kraft Walker Cheese to promote Vegemite. In a two-year campaign to promote sales, Vegemite was given away free with Kraft Walker cheese products (with a coupon redemption) and this was followed by poetry competitions with imported American Pontiac cars being offered as prizes. [12] Sales responded and in 1939 Vegemite was officially endorsed by the British Medical Association as a rich source of B vitamins. Rationed in Australia during World War II, Vegemite was included in Australian Army rations and by the late 1940s was used in nine out of ten Australian homes. [13]
In April 1984, a 115-gram (4.1 oz) jar of Vegemite became the first product in Australia to be electronically scanned at a checkout. [10] [11]
Vegemite is produced in Australia at their Port Melbourne manufacturing facility, which produces more than 22 million jars annually. Virtually unchanged from Callister's original recipe, Vegemite now far outsells Marmite and other similar spreads in Australia. The billionth jar of Vegemite was produced in October 2008. [14]
Vegemite was also produced in New Zealand for over 50 years, but as of August 2006 New Zealand production had ceased. (The New Zealand–specific version of Marmite remains successful there.) [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
The Vegemite brand was owned by Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Inc. until 2012) [11] until January 2017, when it was acquired by the Australian Bega Group in a US$460,000,000 agreement for full Australian ownership after Bega would buy most of Mondelez International's Australia and New Zealand grocery and cheese business. [20]
A common way of eating Vegemite is on toasted bread with a layer of butter or margarine. Only a small amount of Vegemite is required due to its strong flavour. A Vegemite sandwich [21] consists of two slices of buttered bread and Vegemite, but other ingredients such as cheese, lettuce, avocado or tomato may be added. [22]
Vegemite can be used as a filling for pastries, such as the cheesymite scroll, or it may be used in more exotic dishes. [23]
The official Vegemite website contains several recipes using Vegemite in foods such as pasta, burgers, [24] pizzas, [25] casseroles, [26] and even ice cream. [27] It has also suggested using Vegemite as an additive to soups or two-minute noodles. [28] [29] [30]
Limited quantities of kosher Vegemite were first produced in the 1980s; [31] a 2004 decision to cease certification was reversed after a backlash from Jewish consumers. [32] Around 2009, Kraft contracted with the Kashrut Authority in New South Wales for their kashrut supervision services, and by 2010, all jars and tubes of ordinary Vegemite were labelled with the authority's stamp. [33] In 2010, Vegemite also received halal certification. [32]
While the makers of Vegemite have long claimed that Vegemite was suitable for vegans, [34] it was not until World Vegan Day 2019 that it received vegan certification from the Vegan Australia Certified program. [35] A Vegemite nutritionist said that "the spread had always been a fitting choice for vegans". [36]
Vegemite is a source of B vitamins, specifically thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and folate (B1, B2, B3 and B9, respectively). The base version contains no vitamin B12 (cobalamin) although both vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin B12 are added to the low-salt formulation. [37]
The main ingredient of Vegemite is yeast extract, which contains a high concentration of glutamic acid, the source of Vegemite's umami flavour. Vegemite does not contain any fat, added sugar or animal content. It contains gluten (a composite of storage proteins) as the yeast is derived from brewing. [38]
One 5 gram serving contains 173 mg of sodium, which is 8% of the recommended daily intake of sodium. [39] [40] Australia only defines low salt foods, but by UK standards Vegemite is classified as a high salt content food. [41]
A low-salt version of Vegemite was introduced in September 2014. It has a 25% reduction in sodium content. The low-salt version is also fortified with vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. [37]
Originally promoted as a healthy food for children, during World War II advertising emphasised its medicinal value:
Vegemite fights with the men up north! If you are one of those who don't need Vegemite medicinally, then thousands of invalids are asking you to deny yourself of it for the time being. [42]
At the same time, "Sister MacDonald" insisted that Vegemite was essential for "infant welfare" in magazines. Later advertisements began to promote the importance of the B complex vitamins to health.[ citation needed ]
Vegemite's rise to popularity was helped by the marketing campaigns written by J. Walter Thompson advertising that began in 1954, using groups of smiling, healthy children singing a catchy jingle titled "We're happy little Vegemites". [43]
First aired on radio in 1954, the jingle was transferred to television in 1956. This advertising campaign continued until the late 1960s but, as it was targeted to children, it was discontinued in favour of ads promoting the product to all ages. In the late 1980s the original black and white television commercial was remastered, partially colourised and reintroduced. This commercial was to be broadcast periodically from 1991 to 2010. [11] The two young twin girls who sang this advertising jingle were known as the "Vegemite Twins". [44]
In March 2007, Kraft announced that they were trying to trace the eight original children from the campaign to celebrate the advertisement's 50th anniversary and to take part in a new campaign. [45] The 1956 commercial was to be remade with the original children, now grown, to forge a link between "the new generation and the old ad". The media took up the search on Kraft's behalf with all eight children identified in eight days and resulted in many TV specials and interviews in the Australian national media. The 50-year reunion campaign won the Arts, Entertainment & Media Campaign of the Year award at the November 2007 Asia Pacific PR Awards. [46]
During the 1990s, Kraft released a product in Australia known as Vegemite Singles. It combined two of Kraft's major products, Kraft Singles and Vegemite, into one, thus creating Vegemite-flavoured cheese. This extension of the Vegemite product line was an attempt by Kraft to capitalise on the enormous popularity of Vegemite and cheese sandwiches (made by placing a slice of cheese into a Vegemite sandwich). Vegemite Singles were later taken off the market. [47]
On 13 June 2009, Kraft released a new version of Vegemite. The formula combines Vegemite and Kraft cream cheese, spreads more easily and has a considerably less salty and milder taste than the original. To coincide with the release of the new recipe, Kraft ran a competition to give the new flavour a name. [48] The new name was announced during the broadcast of the 2009 AFL Grand Final as iSnack 2.0. The name was chosen by a panel of marketing and communication experts to appeal to a younger market, capitalising on the popularity of Apple's iPod and iPhone. [49] [50] The choice immediately drew universal criticism and ridicule within Australia. Within days, opinion columns and social networking sites were flooded with derision and vitriol; [51] and, after only four days, Kraft released plans to abandon the iSnack name, admitting that it may have been a mistake. [52] Two days later, Kraft opened a new poll on its website, and the final name was announced on 7 October 2009 as "Vegemite Cheesybite", with Kraft claiming that the name had received 36% of the 30,357 votes that were cast for a name option, or approximately 10,900 votes. [53] It was noted that the popular suggestion "Cheesymite", long associated with the popular Cheesymite scroll, was already trademarked by other organisations. [54] The product has been renamed "Vegemite & Cheese" under Bega's ownership. [55]
In 2011, Kraft Foods Australia launched "My First Vegemite", a special formulation of original Vegemite for children aged older than one year. According to Kraft, the new formula has a "milder taste" and "additional health benefits including iron, B6 and B12 vitamins as well as 50% less sodium", and was designed in response to consumer demand for foods with lower sugar and salt content plus additional health benefits. Immediate reaction and media reports regarding the new formula were largely positive, but Kraft Foods Australia discontinued the "My First Vegemite" product line in 2012 due to poor sales performance. [44]
In April 2015, Cadbury announced that it was to release a Vegemite-flavoured block of chocolate on 1 June. The chocolate block is Cadbury's Caramello block updated by mixing vegemite with the chocolate. Critics described the taste as similar to salted caramel with a pleasant umami aftertaste. Criticism varied from "love it" to "tastes like they mixed the caramel and turkish delight filling with a lot of salt" to "needs more salt", with several tasters commenting that they thought the aftertaste was unpleasant. [56] [57]
In 2017, a premium variety, Vegemite Blend 17, was released for a limited time. It promised a "richer bolder taste" but at double the price of the standard product. [58]
Other commercial products with Vegemite flavour include Smith's Crisps, [59] In a Biskit, [60] bagel crisps, [61] sausages, [62] meat pies, [63] and Arnott's Shapes. [64]
In October 2006, an Australian news company reported that Vegemite had been banned in the United States, and that the United States Customs Service had gone so far as to search Australians entering the country for Vegemite because it naturally contains folate, a B vitamin approved as an additive in the United States for just a few foods, including breakfast cereals. [65] [66] [67] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration later stated that there were no plans to subject Vegemite to an import ban, or withdraw it from supermarket shelves. The United States Customs and Border Protection tried to dispel the rumour, stating on its website that "there is no known prohibition on the importation of Vegemite" and "there is no official policy within CBP targeting Vegemite for interception". [68] The story of the "ban" later took on the status of urban legend. [69] While Vegemite has never been popular in the US, it can still be purchased at supermarkets that stock imported food items. [70]
Following newspaper reports in May 2011 that Vegemite and Marmite had been banned and were being removed from shelves in Denmark, outraged fans set up several Facebook groups. In response, Denmark's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries stated that neither spread had been banned but that the respective companies had not applied for licences to market their products in Denmark. In 2004, Denmark had passed legislation prohibiting the sale of food products fortified with vitamins as a danger to health. [71]
Vegemite is banned from Victorian prisons, with the bans beginning to come into effect from the 1990s, to prevent inmates from brewing alcohol using the paste's high yeast content [72] —even though Vegemite contains no live yeast. [73] Similar bans were proposed in 2015 for a number of dry communities in outback Australia, [74] but they were not enacted. [75]
The Australian rock band Men at Work refer to a "Vegemite sandwich" in the second verse of their 1981 hit song "Down Under", from their debut studio album Business as Usual . [76]
Marmite ( MAR-myte) is a British savoury food spread based on yeast extract, invented by the German scientist Justus von Liebig. It is made from by-products of beer brewing (lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vegan source of B vitamins, including supplemental vitamin B12. A traditional method of use is to spread it very thinly on buttered toast.
Yeast extracts consist of the cell contents of yeast without the cell walls; they are used as food additives or flavorings, or as nutrients for bacterial culture media. They are often used to create savoury flavors and umami taste sensations and can be found in a large variety of packaged foods including frozen meals, crackers, snack foods, gravy, stock and more. They are rich in B vitamins. Yeast extracts and fermented foods contain glutamic acid, an amino acid which adds an umami flavor. Glutamic acid is found in meat, cheese, fungi and vegetables—such as broccoli and tomatoes. A number of other substances found in yeast extract provide aromas, some meat-like, when allowed to react under heat.
Cenovis is a dark brown food paste from Switzerland consisting of yeast extract, onions, carrots and spices. Sold internationally under the brand Sonaris, it is similar to English Marmite, Brazilian Cenovit, and Australian Vegemite. It is rich in vitamin B1. It is used to flavour soups, sausages, and salads. The most popular way to consume Cenovis, however, is to spread it on a slice of buttered bread, as stated on the product's packaging (it can also be blended directly into butter, and then spread on bread, or used as a filling in croissants and buns).
Kraft Dinner in Canada, Kraft Mac & Cheese in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Mac and Cheese in the United Kingdom and internationally, is a nonperishable, packaged macaroni and cheese product. It is made by Kraft Foods Group and traditionally cardboard-boxed with dried macaroni pasta and a packet of processed cheese powder. It was introduced under the Kraft Dinner name simultaneously in both Canada and the U.S. in 1937. The brand is particularly popular with Canadians, who consume 55% more boxes per capita than Americans.
Promite is a dark brown, salty food paste derived from yeast extract. It is primarily used as a spread on sandwiches and toast similar to Vegemite and Marmite. Promite was invented in the 1950s by Henry Lewis & Company and marketed under the Masterfoods brand. Henry Lewis & Company later became MasterFoods Australia and New Zealand, before being bought out by Mars, Incorporated, a privately owned U.S. company, in 1967. Promite has continued to be manufactured and primarily sold in Australia.
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, often a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, that is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of yellow flakes, granules, or powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment.
A cream cracker is a flat, usually square, savoury biscuit. The name "cream crackers" refers to the method in which the mixture is creamed during manufacture. The cream cracker is traditionally prepared using fermented dough.
Cheer, formerly Coon, is the Australian trademark of a cheddar cheese produced by the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter company, which is majority-owned by Canadian dairy company Saputo Inc.
Guinness Yeast Extract, commonly known by its initials GYE, was an Irish savoury spread, made from yeast extract. It was a by-product of the Guinness beer brewing process and produced by Arthur Guinness Son & Co., Dublin. The product was launched in Ireland on 2 November, 1936 and discontinued in 1968.
In a Biskit is a line of snack crackers produced by Nabisco. Originally released in the United States as Chicken in a Biskit in early 1964, the line has since grown to be available internationally with a variety of flavours.
Dairylea is a popular brand of processed cheese products produced by Mondelēz International and available in Ireland and the United Kingdom. As of 2017, it is also available in Australia.
Cyril Percy Callister was an Australian chemist and food technologist who developed the Vegemite yeast spread. As well as Vegemite, he is known for his contributions towards processed cheese.
Fred Walker was an Australian businessman and founder of Fred Walker & Co. and the Fred Walker Company in Melbourne. He also set up Kraft Walker Cheese Co. in partnership with American businessman James L. Kraft in 1926, in order to market Kraft's patented method of processing cheese.
Vegan cheese is a category of non-dairy, plant-based cheese analogues. Vegan cheeses range from soft fresh cheeses to aged and cultured hard grateable cheeses like plant-based Parmesan. The defining characteristic of vegan cheese is the exclusion of all animal products.
The Bega Group is an Australian diversified food and drinks company with manufacturing sites in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Founded as an agricultural cooperative in the town of Bega, New South Wales by their dairy suppliers, it became a public company in 2011 when it listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Close to half of shares publicly traded are still held by Bega's farmer-suppliers. It is currently one of the largest companies in the dairy sector in Australia, with a base milk supply in 2018 of approximately 750 million litres per annum.
Marmite is a food spread produced in New Zealand by Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company and distributed in Australia and the Pacific. Marmite is made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing. It is similar to the British Marmite, but the two products are made by different companies.
Mr Key told Firstline this morning that he also likes the Australian-made rival Vegemite.
'Are Marmite and Vegemite both made in NZ?' They used to be – Vegemite recently pulled out of NZ and have gone back home to Australia where they belong. Marmite was not only the first, but is also the ONLY yeast spread made in New Zealand.
...Vegemite first came to us from Australia and they even made it here for a while. But as you can see from their packaging, they have buzzed back home to Australia.
Back in the '80s Kraft started distinguishing the first batch of vegemite made on the newly-kosher equipment, by putting a K next to the use-by date.
Vegemite: all sizes. Updated: Tue 11 Aug 2009.The procedure for obtaining Kashrut Authority certification is detailed in: "KA Certification Guidelines". Sydney, Australia: Kashrut Authority. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.