The makers of what is arguably Australia's most identifiable food may be American, but they are well aware of the danger of tampering with a national icon.

Which is why the people at Kraft Foods took the advice of more than 300,000 Australians before they meddled with Vegemite.

Kraft is today launching the first new version of Vegemite in 85 years. Credit:Michele Mossop.

The result of those consultations, and nine months of tinkering with ingredients, is the first variation in 85 years on an astonishingly successful theme.

Kraft launched a new version of Vegemite today - and it did so with a certain amount of respectful trepidation, insisting that the product as "the new Vegemite experience".