Anthony Albanese, appearing at the Sydney Easter Show on Saturday, had some upbeat news for Vegemite lovers, confirming the beloved Aussie spread will make its return at a Canadian café after food authorities removed the item from the menu.
Last week an Australian café owner residing in Canada was forced to remove $8000 worth of Vegemite following a stoush with Canadian food authorities.
The “Vegemite gate” saga caught the attention of the Prime Minister, who confirmed that after diplomatic discussions with Canadian authorities, Vegemite was “back on the agenda” in the popular establishment.
“I can report after the discussions that my government has had with the Government of Canada, and I want to thank (Canadian PM) Mark Carney and his office and his team for ensuring that the Australian cafe owner, Leighton Walters can once again have Vegemite back in his café,” Mr Albanese said.
“This is a win for Australian industry, but it’s also a win for those people in Canada who get to enjoy this wonderful product that is so much a part of Australian culture and indeed Australian pride as well.”
Mr Albanese held up a jar of Vegemite in his hand at the renowned Woolworths Fresh Food Dome foyer and said that it was a “fantastic outcome” and wished a “Happy Easter to all those happy little Vegemites out there”.
The Found Coffee café is an award-winning chain located in Toronto and is run by dual Australian-Canadian citizen Leighton Walters, who proudly sells Vegemite directly to customers on toast.
After moving to Canada and founding his café in 2019, Mr Walters could not seem to detach himself from Vegemite, as he wanted to serve the spread to thousands of people.
“I grew up as a Vegemite kid eating it for breakfast every second day,” Mr Walters told CBC Toronto.
He said on his cafe’s Instagram that “pulling Vegemite off our shelves hits at the core and the heart of our brand”.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency flagged Mr Walters latest shipment of Vegemite in January and said it cannot be sold, due to the spread not complying with Health Canada regulations.
Mr Albanese earlier this week sided with the café owner, revealing: “I can confirm that I am pro-Vegemite. And, indeed, I actually put a lot of Vegemite on my toast when I ate bread”.
