Vegemite: Don’t ban me mate!

I’m generously guessing that maybe 0000001 percent of the United States population eats Vegemite. Nevertheless, it caused an uproar when the U.S. nearly banned the yeast/salt spread in 2006. So imagine the outcry if the stuff were banned in Australia, which consumes the other 99.9999 percent. The population of Australia is just over 20 million people and in 2008 they ate more than 1.2 billion servings of Vegemite.

The Australian Food Council has warned Aussies it’s considering a ban of Vegemite as a way to tackle the country’s obesity problem. Also on the chopping block are cheeses, preserves and jellies. If you can spread it on toast the AFC wants to ban it.

The acting prime minster of Australia, Julia Gillard, tried to assure her country she would fight for the Vegemite. She’s quoted in the Australian newspaper Crikey calling herself a “happy little Vegemite.”

Yet there have been no riots or demonstrations. If Mayor Funkhouser were to ban barbecue there would be outrage, but Austrailians have shown none of that.