As the Trump administration’s tariff regime dominates headlines, Australia and Canada have become entangled in their own mini trade stand-off.
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Tuesday threw his support behind a cafe owner in Toronto who was reportedly in a dispute with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) over importing Vegemite.
Albanese weighed in after Canada’s public broadcaster published a story – on Monday evening Australian time – saying CFIA had told dual citizen Leighton Walters he would have to stop selling and serving the yeast spread because it did not meet local standards.
Albanese confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday morning (AEST) that he had seen the report.
Asked by a journalist if he had a message for Canada, and for Walters, Albanese said: “I stand with the Aussie cafe owner.”
CFIA told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that the Vegemite Walters sought to import was found to have added vitamins that were not permitted with Canadian health regulations.
Walters had until recently sold jars of Vegemite to customers and served them the spread on toast and pastries at Found Coffee – his chain of Australian-inspired cafes. He was at risk of losing about C$8,000 (about A$9,000) worth of Vegemite he had already paid for, according to the report, because CFIA told him the batch of Vegemite was non-compliant.
CBC said CFIAhad confirmed Vegemite was not banned in Canada, but also told the broadcaster in an email it was “not currently aware of any Vegemite product that is produced to be sold in Canada in compliance with Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations”.
All Vegemite products are fortified with vitamin B, suggesting none should be allowed to be sold in Canada. But the famous Australian breakfast spread is still available to purchase at places including specialty retailers, and online at Amazon Canada.
Speaking to media on Tuesday, 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 eat bread.
“So, I love Vegemite. It’s a good thing. I did hear the report on that. It’s rather odd that [Canada is] letting Marmite in – which is rubbish, frankly. Let’s be clear here: pro-Vegemite, anti-Marmite. That’s my position.”
(In 2020, CFIA specifically granted Vegemite’s UK counterpart – another yeast spreadwhich also has added vitamins – permission to be sold after a shipment of it was rejected.)
Walters told Guardian Australia he was “proud to bring our Australian specialty coffee culture and the Aussie icons like Vegemite to Canada”.
“It’s been overwhelming to receive loads of messages of friends and family at home, complete strangers and many Aussies living all over the world, encouraging us to continue this fight [against] government overreach and inconsistencies in government regulation,” he said.
Dr Fiona Willer, a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at the Queensland University of Technology, said because B vitamins are water soluble, it is difficult to consume too many.
She added that the B vitamin mix in Vegemite was “certainly nothing to write home about”.
The recommended dietary intake of B3 is 16 milligrams for men and 14 milligrams for women, she noted, with the upper level at 35 milligrams a day.
With 2.5 milligrams of B3 per teaspoon of Vegemite, someone would have to eat 14 teaspoons of the spread to reach the threshold, Willer said.
“I think it’s tasty. And it does have its place,” she said. “The biggest red flag in Vegemite is a no-brainer – the sodium content.”
A spokesperson for Vegemite, which is owned by Bega Group, said they were aware of the reports and were “sending our support” to Walters and his customers.
They said, however, that the company was “limited” in its ability to change CFIA’s decision.
“After looking into it, we can confirm we do not currently export Vegemite to Canada for sale within Canada,” they said.
“As such, we’re not directly involved in or across the specific import regulations that apply – including those set by the CFIA.”
Guardian Australia contacted CFIA for comment.
