They definitely hate it! Denmark BANS Marmite... because it has too many vitamins



They say you either love it or hate it.

But it seems that people in Denmark definitely hate Marmite as the country has banned it from its shelves.

The sticky brown yeast extract, commonly spread on toast and sandwiches, has built up millions of admirers around the world - and just as many who grimace at the merest thought of the dark paste.



Contraband: Food chiefs in Denmark have launched a crackdown on Marmite because it breaks food laws governing the sale of products fortified with added vitamins

VITAMINS IN MARMITE

Thiamin (vitamin B1): Helps digestive system break down food and protects muscle tissue and nervous system. Riboflavin (vitamin B2): Ensures the body absorbs nutrients from food and converts it into energy efficiently. Keeps skin and eyes looking healthy and assists with the production of red blood cells.

Niacin (vitamin B3): Supports nervous and digestive systems and helps produce energy from food. Vitamin B12: Makes red blood cells and protects nervous system. Helps release energy from food and processes folic acid. Folic Acid: Works with vitamin B12 to produce healthy red blood cells. Beneficial during pregnancy as combats risk of central nervous system defects in unborn babies.



The divisive vegetable spread has been banned in Denmark because it breaks food laws passed in 2004 governing the sale of products fortified with added vitamins.



And until now, Marmite had escaped the attention of food chiefs.



It is unclear exactly why the Danish authorities have launched a crackdown on foods with too many vitamins.

But Marmite now joins the ranks of Australian alternative Vegemite, Horlicks, Ovaltine and Farley’s Rusks - all products the Danes have an apparent aversion to.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration is responsible for the ban which has ex-pat Britons living in the country fearful for their culinary future.

'What am I supposed to put on my toast now?' said British advertising executive Colin Smith, who has lived there for six years.

'I still have a bit left in the cupboard, but it's not going to last long.'

He and others fear they will have to subscribe to a black-market trade in the sticky brown stuff, smuggled in from nearby Sweden or Germany where it is still legal.

A dying snack: Hundreds of diners enjoying lunch at Danish cafes... but from now on, there'll be no more Marmite sandwiches on the menu

British foodstuff shops in Copenhagen are worried about the economic impact on their businesses as Marmite has been a staple of their turnover for years.

The ban highlights the absurdity of the EU which states that it is a legal product, but which has no authority over nation states about what can and cannot be sold.

'They don't like it because it's foreign,' Lyndsay Jensen, a Yorkshire-born graphic designer in Copenhagen, told the Guardian.

'But if they want to take my Marmite off me, they'll have to wrench it from my cold dead hands.'



Abigails, a shop in the centre of Copenhagen that specialises in English foodstuffs, has begun a 'Bring Back Marmite' campaign.

'Marmite was one of our best-selling products. Not a day goes by without someone coming in and asking for it,' said Marianne Ørum, who together with her Scottish partner owns the food store.

'It’s becoming impossible to run a business in this country,' continued Ørum, herself a Dane. 'The government keeps making things illegal!'

The Danish government had no immediate comment on its decision.