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A museum based in south London has been forced to pull a new exhibition after receiving a warning that Jaffa Cakes are not, in fact, biscuits.
The Bermondsey-based Biscuit Museum launched the display on June 30 to celebrate the chocolate-orange treat, but soon received a strongly worded letter challenging the decision. Despite being stocked in the biscuit aisle, McVitie’s has always maintained that Jaffa Cakes are legally and technically cakes.
In the letter, McVitie’s said it was dismayed to see Jaffa Cakes included in an “exhibition of biscuitry”, and made clear that “Jaffa Cakes are, in fact, cakes. Not biscuits. Not hybrid snacks. Just cakes.” The letter added that “cakes harden when stale. Biscuits go soft.”
The company’s spokesperson later said: “We love a good biscuit as much as the next snack enthusiast, but we’ve got to draw the line somewhere, and that line is sponge-based. A cake’s a cake, even when it’s small, round, and lives suspiciously close to Hobnobs. It’s nothing personal, it’s just the way the cake crumbles.”
Museum staff were reportedly surprised by the letter, and the exhibit has now been taken down. Curator Gary Magold said it was a shame and confirmed the museum hoped to reach a resolution with McVitie’s. “As a nation of Jaffa Cakes lovers, we’re hoping we can reach an agreement,” he said.
The row has once again reignited one of the UK’s longest-running snack debates. McVitie’s previously went to court to prove the treats are cakes in order to avoid VAT applied to biscuits with chocolate. The issue continues to divide the public and even families.
For now, the exhibit is on hold — and the great biscuit versus cake debate rumbles on.
