Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shown his support for a Toronto cafe chain owner who was recently ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to remove $8,000 worth of Vegemite from his menu and shelves.
According to CBC News, in January the agency ordered Found Coffee to stop selling Vegemite to customers because the batch of Vegemite was not compliant with Health Canada regulations due to added vitamins.
Until then, Found Coffee had been serving the iconic Australian product at his Aussie-inspired cafes in Toronto, both on toast or within pastries, and directly in jars.
Australian-Canadian dual-citizen Leighton Walters, the person behind Found Coffee, took to social media to voice his disappointment at the CFIA’s decision, which has reportedly set him back up to $8,000.
“I’m absolutely floored because Vegemite is still available on Amazon [Canada],” Walter said in an Instagram post last week.
“It’s still available in quite a few British grocery stores. But the CFIA saw that we were an importer of record for a pallet of Vegemite once a year and gave us an inspection notice and demanded that all of it be taken off the shelf and taken off our menu.”
It’s a personal issue for Walters, who was born with spina bifida.
“Spina bifida exists because there’s a lack of folate in the diet at conception. One of the major things that Vegemite adds to everyone’s daily diet is a high amount of folate, which helps minimize neural tube defects and minimizes the chance for anyone to ever go through what I’ve been in my life,” he commented.
“These vitamins, they’re not bad for you,” he continued. “They’re in Canadian wheat-enriched flowers. They’re in your bread. They’re in your cereals. The CFIA said because it was ‘fortified’ outside of Canada, but when you go to grocery stores, they’ve still got Marmite, which is the exact same product made in the U.K., on the shelf.”
Certain products, including cereals, white flour, and select juices and milk, can be sold in Canada with added vitamins under Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations. However, spreads and condiments are not part of that list.
According to the product’s website, all Vegemite products are fortified with Vitamin B, which indicates that none of them would meet the criteria to be sold in Canada.
However, Vegemite is still available to purchase at some Canadian retailers and continues to be available from Amazon Canada.
Speaking to the media this week, the Australian PM came out in support of Walters.
“I stand with the Aussie cafe owner,” said Albanese, per 7NEWS Australia.“I can confirm here today that I am pro-Vegemite. I put a lot of Vegemite on my toast.”
Walters has vowed to fight his case on behalf of his principles and his customers.
“I’ve spent my entire life trying to prove myself to make my life matter and to stand up for what I believe in. And Vegemite is something that I believe in,” he said last week.
“I’ve spoken to the Australian Trade Commission. I’ve spoken to a bunch of Australians, and we’re going to try our best to push back, do what’s right, and make sure that we can sell our bloody Vegemite.”
