Supermarket find everyone has an opinion on

A Sydney woman, who nabbed a bargain supermarket find, has sparked a fiery online debate about the nation’s favourite condiment.

Like the Brits and Brexit, Australians are very passionate about Vegemite, and have remained divided over this salty condiment for generations.

Whether you prefer it slapped thick over fresh bread, baked inside of a cheesy scroll, or smeared thinly on extra buttered toast (with extra butter), one thing most Aussies can agree on is that everything tastes good with a bit of Vege on it.

So when Sydney woman Leigh-Anne Edwards posted a photograph of a stack of Vegemite jars on sale, the response from Aussies everywhere was “astounding”.

The woman posted the vegemite jars on sale. Picture: Facebook

Speaking to news.com.au, Ms Edwards said she posted the sale to the popular Markdown Addicts Australia Facebook page on Sunday.

She had been strolling through a Woolworths in the northwest Sydney suburb of Glenwood when she spotted Vegemite on sale for 80 cents a jar.

“It’s something I never see on markdown,” Ms Edward said.

When hundreds of comments and likes flooded her photo, she said she wasn’t surprised.

“Vegemite is an acquired taste but it’s made to last, so I’m glad I could share the bargain with others,” she said.

Members absolutely loved the huge markdown, with one person vowing to “buy every single one because we love Vegemite so much.”

Another woman recalled the one time she saw Vegemite on sale, as if it were an urban legend.

“I’ve seen vegemite reduced once and stocked up like a crazy woman,” she wrote.

“So worth it!!”

But if the Great Depression-era cost wasn’t enough to rock members of the group, Ms Edwards next query was.

Can I offer you some bread with that Vegemite?

Ms Edwards informed the members the reason the jars were on sale was because the expiration date was coming up on Wednesday.

“Are you like me and still use vegemite out of date?” she asked the group.

In less than 24-hours, her post has received hundreds of likes and comments from Vegemite enthusiasts, eager to throw in their two — or 80 — cents worth on the matter.

IT’S INDESTRUCTIBLE

Hardcore Vegemite fans declared the black yeast spread was literally indestructible, so much so that “it is the one thing that will survive the apocalypse”.

“Mate, I reckon people in 5000 years will be digging jars of this stuff up out of the ruins and it will still be like the day it was jarred,” one man wrote.

Another person even purported that “Vegemite would survive a nuclear explosion”.

“It’s a great choice for a time capsule,” someone else chimed in.

In possibly the most Australian response ever, a woman called Sharon said that Vegemite is like “a cockroach in the microwave or a fine red wine, you can’t destroy it and it gets better with age.”

Too right, Shaz.

You can’t get more Aussie than this.

I ATE IT AND I’M FINE

Dozens of people responded to Ms Edwards query, claiming they had been eating out of date Vegemite for years and had experienced no associated illness whatsoever.

“I found a large jar in the ‘camping box’ at least 10 years out of date and we ate it — no probs at all,” one mum wrote.

One woman told the group she purchased a jar of Vegemite three years ago and still uses it.

“It’s perfectly fine,” she said.

But one woman took the cake on the use by date game, claiming she couldn’t bring herself to throw out her jar as “its older than 3 of my children”.

This is some seriously vintage Vegemite.

This jar of Vegemite has a use by date of June 12, 1994.

IT’S SALTY

People were quick to point out the high salt content in the spread acts as a natural preservative.

“It’s basically a salt paste so you’ve got no worries,” one person wrote.

One mum was told by a doctor to stop her kid from eating so much Vegemite to save their kidneys.

“My eldest ate it like some people eat Nutella,” she wrote.

“I had to put it where he can’t reach it as it was bad for him. I was told by the doctor not to let him do it cause it’s so salty could damage his kidneys.”

Yeast spread in jar.

DON’T CROSS CONTAMINATE

Most commenters said Vegemite can’t go off unless it’s contaminated by an outside source.

“As long as you don’t put butter in jar it will be fine (until) eternity,” one person said.

Another agreed: “Yeah vegemite lasts for years unless you have kids that add butter and breadcrumbs to the jar when they use it!”

So the take home message here is to always use a clean knife with no butter to scoop out your Vege.

Continue the conversation @Rhi_lani or email [e-mail]