Cautious change to Australia's 'national dish'

To millions of Australians who spread it on their toast every morning, Vegemite is virtually a national dish. So when the makers of the pungent brown paste decided to meddle with the ingredients, they exercised extreme caution.

Kraft Foods conducted a survey of more than 300,000 Australians before announcing a new version of the 86-year-old spread today. Company executives also trawled internet chatrooms frequented by Vegemite lovers in an effort to discern the precise nature of its appeal.

The new product is much like the original, but smoother. In a sign, perhaps, of more health-conscious times, consumers told Kraft “they wanted a Vegemite that doesn’t require combining with butter and one that’s easier to spread”, according to the company’s head of corporate affairs, Simon Talbot. While the revised recipe remains confidential, the extra ingredient is reportedly cream cheese.



Kraft – which is American, a fact some Australians find hard to swallow – claims the relaunched Vegemite is more versatile than the original, and “can be enjoyed at all times of day”. It even goes with the traditional Aussie barbecue, claims the company, which has created a marinade recipe for meat or fish that comprises fresh rosemary, honey, wholegrain mustard and Vegemite.

While the attraction of such dishes as Vegemite and Beer Marinated Steaks may be difficult for outsiders to fathom, Australians consume 22 million jars of the spread every year. Kraft is calling the latest version of the yeast extract paste “the new Vegemite experience”, but has yet to name it. Instead, it will ask consumers to come up with a name.

Purists need not fear: the original version will continue to be sold beside the new product, which will be launched in supermarkets next month. According to the company, 70 per cent of Australian pantries contain a jar of Vegemite. However, the overseas market is still a challenge, with only 2 per cent of the dark brown paste sold outside Australia.