Anthony Albanese backs Australian cafe owner in Canadian Vegemite fight

Canadian authorities have issued a brutal ruling on Vegemite — forcing Anthony Albanese to get involved.

An Australian cafe owner in Canada faces having to destroy $8000 in Vegemite after a fight with Canadian authorities — but he has won the backing of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

In an unlikely diplomatic spat, the award-winning cafe run by a dual Australian-Canadian citizen has been happily importing and selling Vegemite to expats and curious locals for years before being hit with an order to cease and desist.

Found Coffee, a chain of Australian-inspired cafés in Toronto sells Vegemite directly to customers and also sells Vegemite on toast.

Leighton Walters moved to Toronto, Canada in 2019 to found the cafe, with the vegemite twist a core part of the brand.

“I grew up as a Vegemite kid eating it for breakfast every second day,” Walters told CBC Toronto. “It’s an iconic Australian product. We’ve been so proud to serve it to thousands and tens of thousands of Australians, Canadians, travellers and tourists.”

Leighton Walters has been told to remove all Vegemite he imported for his cafe in Canada. Picture: Supplied / Leighton Walters

But earlier this year, Canadian regulators red-flagged his latest shipment of Vegemite before telling him it can no longer be sold.

“Pulling Vegemite off our shelves hits at the core and the heart of our brand,” he said.

“It would be similar to a Canadian entrepreneur moving to Australia, starting an amazing poutine shop and then bringing in this beautiful, sort of high quality, unique maple syrup from Canada, and then the Australian government turning around and saying, ‘No you can’t serve that maple syrup because the trees weren’t in a controlled environment when they were tapped’ or ‘They’re too sweet.’”

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) told him in January that the batch of Vegemite was non-compliant with Health Canada regulations.

“The Vegemite product being sold was found to have added vitamins which are not permitted in this product as per the Food and Drug Regulations and is therefore not permitted to be sold in Canada,” a CFIA spokesperson told CBC Toronto in an email.

“As a result, the café was informed of the non-compliance and voluntarily removed the product from its menu and retail offerings.”

The cafe in Toronto. Picture: Instagram / @sipvibesonly

All Vegemite products are fortified with vitamin B, according to the product’s website.

“As an Australian-Canadian citizen, I am torn and shocked to have awoken from surgery to receive a demand for destruction of our entire supply of our iconic Aussie Vegemite claiming ‘non-compliance’ citing concerns due to added B Vitamins,’’ the cafe owner said.

“Despite Amazon and major grocery stores continuing to profit off the sale of Vegemite and similar products like Marmite, for some reason, our genuinely Australian/Canadian coffee shops offering a healthy slice of home away from home, is seemingly worth targeting.

“I don’t expect Canadians to care about Vegemite, I know it’s an acquired taste, but the principle and double standard doesn’t make sense to me … and it doesn’t seem right.

“As someone born with a Birth Defect, this is deeply personal. Vegemite is high in B Vitamins and Folate, that helps minimise the likelihood of babies being born with conditions like mine and living through the pain my family and I have throughout out my life so far.

“I’m hoping someone knows someone in Canada or Australia who would maybe help us encourage logic to prevail.

“Even if we are unsuccessful and we can’t get Vegemite back, at least we went down trying.”

Anthony Albanese confirms he is "pro-Vegemite" when asked about the situation during a press conference. Picture: ABC

PM weighs in on Vegemite war

Asked about the furore on the election campaign this morning the Prime Minister swung into action.

“I stand with the Aussie cafe owner …!,’’ Mr Albanese said.

“I can confirm here today that I am pro-Vegemite. And, indeed, I actually put a lot of Vegemite on my toast when I ate bread.”

Mr Albanese has famously gone low-carb in recent years to keep the kilos at bay.

“So, I love Vegemite. It’s a good thing. I did hear the report on that. It’s rather odd that they’re letting Marmite in – which is rubbish, frankly.

“Let’s be clear here. Pro-Vegemite, anti-Marmite. That’s my position.”