Marmite is the brand name for two similar food spreads: the original British version,
since 2000 a Unilever product; and a modified version produced in New Zealand by Sanitarium
Health Food Company and distributed in Australasia and the Pacific. Marmite is made from yeast
extract, a by-product of beer brewing. Other similar products include the Australian Vegemite,
the Swiss Cenovis and the German Vitam-R. The British version of the product is a sticky,
dark brown food paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, which is extremely salty.
This distinctive taste is reflected in the British company's marketing slogan: "Love
it or hate it." The product's name has entered British English as a metaphor for something
which is an acquired taste or tends to polarise opinions.
A version with a different flavour has been manufactured in New Zealand since 1919. This
is the only product sold as Marmite in Australasia and the Pacific, whereas elsewhere in the
world the British version predominates. The image on the front of the British jar
shows a "marmite", a French term for a large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot.
British Marmite was originally supplied in earthenware pots, but since the 1920s has
been sold in distinctive, bulbous glass jars of approximately the same shape. A thinner
version in squeezable plastic jars was introduced in March 2006.
History The product that was to become Marmite was
invented in the late 19th century when German scientist Justus von Liebig discovered that
brewer's yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten. In 1902 the Marmite Food Extract
Company was formed in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England with Marmite as its main product and
Burton as the site of the first factory. The product took its name from the "marmite",
a French term for a large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot. The labels of the UK
product still carry the image of a marmite. The by-product yeast needed for the paste
was supplied by Bass Brewery. By 1907, the product had become successful enough to warrant
construction of a second factory at Camberwell Green in London.
The product's popularity prompted the Sanitarium Health Food Company to obtain sole rights
to distribute the product in New Zealand and Australia in 1908. They later began manufacturing
Marmite under licence in Christchurch, albeit using a modified version of the original recipe,
most notable for its inclusion of sugar and caramel. Common ingredients are also slightly
different quantities from the British version; the New Zealand version has high levels of
potassium, for example. New Zealand Marmite is described as having a "weaker" or "less
tangy" flavour than the British version. It is distributed throughout Australia, New Zealand
and the Pacific Islands. By 1912, the discovery of vitamins was a boost
for Marmite, as the spread is a rich source of the vitamin B complex; With the vitamin
B1 deficiency beri-beri being common during World War I, the spread became more popular.
British troops during World War I were issued with Marmite as part of their rations.
In the 1930s, Marmite was used by the English scientist Lucy Wills to successfully treat
a form of anaemia in mill workers in Bombay. She later identified folic acid as the active
ingredient. Marmite was used to treat malnutrition in Suriya-Mal workers during the 1934–5
malaria epidemic in Sri Lanka. Housewives were encouraged to spread Marmite thinly and
to "use it sparingly just now" because of limited rations of the product.
In 1990, Marmite Limited – which had become a subsidiary of Bovril Limited – was bought
by CPC International Inc, which changed its name to Best Foods Inc in 1998. Best Foods
Inc subsequently merged with Unilever in 2000, and Marmite is now a trademark owned by Unilever.
Similar products There are a number of similar yeast products
available in other countries; these products are not directly connected to the original
Marmite recipe and brand. The Australian product Vegemite is distributed in many countries,
and AussieMite is sold in Australia and the United Kingdom. Other products include Cenovis,
a Swiss spread, and Vegex, an autolyzed yeast product available in the USA since 1913.
Use Initially, Marmite was popular with vegetarians
as a meat-free alternative to beef extract products such as Bovril, which were popular
in the late 19th and early 20th century. Marmite is traditionally eaten as a savoury
spread on bread, toast, savoury biscuits or crackers, and other similar baked products.
Owing to its concentrated taste it is usually spread thinly with butter or margarine. Marmite
can also be made into a savoury hot drink by adding one teaspoon to a mug of hot water
much like Bovril. Marmite is paired with cheese, such as in
a cheese sandwich, and has been used as an additional flavouring in Mini Cheddars, a
cheese-flavoured biscuit snack. Similarly, it has been used by Walkers Crisps for a special
edition flavour; is sold as a flavouring on rice cakes; and Marmite Biscuits. Starbucks
in the UK has a cheese and Marmite panini on its menu.
In New Zealand, Sanitarium, the NZ Marmite company, recommends spreading it on bread
with potato crisps added to make a "Marmite and Chippie" sandwich. In Singapore and Malaysia,
Marmite is popularly added to plain rice congee to give it a strong, salty flavour. In Malaysia,
Marmite has been used for cooking with chicken, prawns or crab.
Manufacture
While the process is secret, the general method for making yeast extract on a commercial scale
is to add salt to a suspension of yeast, making the solution hypertonic, which leads to the
cells shrivelling up; this triggers "autolysis", in which the yeast self-destructs. The dying
yeast cells are then heated to complete their breakdown, and since yeast cells have thick
hull walls which would detract from the smoothness of the end product, the husks are sieved out.
As with other yeast extracts, Marmite contains free glutamic acids, which are analogous to
monosodium glutamate. Today, the main ingredients of Marmite manufactured
in the UK are glutamic acid-rich yeast extract, with lesser quantities of sodium chloride,
vegetable extract, niacin, thiamine, spice extracts, riboflavin, folic acid and celery
extracts, although the precise composition is a trade secret. vitamin B12 is not naturally
found in yeast extract, but is added to Marmite during manufacture.
Nutritional information Besides folic acid Marmite has useful quantities
of several other vitamins, even in small servings. The sodium content of the spread is high and
has caused concern, although it is the amount per serving rather than the percentage in
bulk Marmite that is relevant. The main ingredient of Marmite is yeast extract, which contains
a high concentration of glutamic acid. Marmite made in the United Kingdom and exported to
several countries is believed to be gluten free although there is no chemical relation
between glutamic acid and gluten, despite the phonetic similarity of the two terms.
However, Unilever will not confirm that it contains less than 20 PPM of gluten, the current
European standard and the proposed US FDA standard for gluten-free labelling.
Marmite today is fortified with added vitamins, resulting in it being banned in Denmark which
disallows foodstuffs that have been fortified. British marketing and packaging
Marmite's publicity campaigns initially emphasised the spread's healthy nature, extolling it
as "The growing up spread you never grow out of." The first major Marmite advertising campaign
began in the 1930s, with characters whose faces incorporated the word 'good'. Soon afterwards,
the rising awareness of vitamins was used in Marmite advertising, with slogans proclaiming
that "A small quantity added to the daily diet will ensure you and your family are taking
sufficient vitamin B to keep nerves, brain, and digestion in proper working order."
During the 1980s, the spread was advertised with the slogan "My mate, Marmite", chanted
in television commercials by an army platoon. The spread had been a standard vitamin supplement
for British-based German POWs during the Second World War.
By the 1990s Marmite's distinctive and powerful flavour had earned it as many detractors as
it had fans, and it was known for producing a polarised "love/hate" reaction amongst consumers.
Marmite launched a "Love it or Hate it" campaign in October 1996, and this resulted in the
coining of the phrase "Marmite effect" or "Marmite reaction" for anything which provoked
strong and polarised feelings. On 22 April 2010, Unilever threatened legal action against
the British National Party for using a jar of Marmite and the "love it or hate it" slogan
in their television adverts. Availability worldwide
As Unilever has the exclusive right to the Marmite name in the United Kingdom, and Sanitarium
has the exclusive right to the name in Australia and New Zealand, their respective versions
of Marmite must be sold under a different name in the other countries. Unilever International
sells the British Marmite as Our Mate in Australia and New Zealand, while Sanitarium sells the
New Zealand Marmite as "Vitamite" in the UK. In Denmark, food safety legislation dictates
that foodstuffs which contain added vitamins can only be sold by retailers which have been
licensed by the Veterinary and Food Administration. In May 2011, the company which imports the
product to Denmark revealed that it wasn't licensed and had therefore stopped selling
the product: this led to widespread but inaccurate reports in the British media that Marmite
had been banned by the Danish authorities. In the Netherlands, Marmite 125g jar and 200g
Squeeze jar are available in most supermarkets and some tiny grocery stores.
2012–13 New Zealand Marmite shortage
In November 2011, Sanitarium shut down the sole production line of New Zealand Marmite
at its Christchurch factory after a cooling tower at the factory was deemed unsafe, having
cracked in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and its aftershocks. On 19 March
2012, the company announced that its own stocks of Marmite had run out and the production
line was not expected to be running again until July. Some supermarkets reported at
the time they had already run out of stock, and there was only a few weeks of stock left
in their distribution centres, leading to the dubbing of Marmite as "black gold" and
the crisis as "Marmageddon". Immediately after the announcement, there
was reported panic buying of Marmite from supermarkets, and over one hundred auctions
for jars of Marmite, new and used, were listed on online auction site TradeMe, with some
sellers asking for up to NZ$800 per jar; over 185 times its usual retail price of around
$4.25 per 250g jar People were advised to use the spread sparingly, with even Prime
Minister John Key admitting he may have to switch to Australian rival Vegemite once his
personal supplies run out. In June 2012, it was announced that additional
structural damage had been uncovered at the factory, and the proposed July return to production
was rescheduled to October. Problems with an unfinished lift at the factory delayed
production into 2013. Sanitarium announced in February 2013 that
production had restarted and the factory was in the process of building up stock ready
for the return. Marmite returned to New Zealand retailers effective midnight on 20 March 2013,
although only the 250g jar size was initially available and many supermarkets imposed a
limit of two jars per customer per day to promote fairness and prevent bulk buying.
The return to overseas retailers is on now that the New Zealand supply and demand has
settled. Canada
On 24 January 2014, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was noted, in a CBC story, as moving
to stop the sale of Marmite, as well as Vegemite and Ovaltine, in Canada because they were
enriched with vitamins and minerals which were not listed in Canadian food regulations.
The agency said the products were not a health hazard. The CFIA later clarified that these
specific items had been seized because they were not the versions that are formulated
for sale in Canada and which meet all Canadian food regulations. Canadian versions of Marmite
and the other products will still be permitted to be sold in Canada.
Special editions
In 2002 a 100th anniversary jar was released. In February 2007 Marmite produced a limited
edition Guinness Marmite of 300,000 250g jars of their yeast extract with 30% Guinness yeast,
giving it a noticeable hint of "Guinness" flavour. In January 2008 Champagne Marmite
was released for Valentine's Day, with a limited-edition run of 600,000 units initially released exclusively
to Selfridges of London. The product had 0.3% champagne added to the recipe, and a modified
heart-shaped label with "I love you" in place of the logo.
In November 2008, the NZ version of Marmite was rebranded as 'Mo-mite' in support of Movember,
the annual moustache-growing charity event. In 2009, a limited edition Marston's Pedigree
Marmite was launched to celebrate the 2009 Ashes Cricket test series.
In April 2012 a special edition jar in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth
II was released. With the product renamed "Ma'amite," the redesigned label featured
a colour scheme based upon the Union Flag; the marmite and spoon logo replaced by a gold
crown, and with a red rather than yellow cap. The front label also declares "Made with 100%
British Yeast". Coinciding with the 110th anniversary of the brand, production was limited
to 300,000 jars. For Christmas 2012 a gold limited edition was launched, containing edible
gold-coloured flecks. British product range
Historically the product was available in 2, 4, 8 and 16 oz jars.
Books about Marmite Brown, Eric. A Monster Ate My Marmite. Edinburgh:
Barrington Stoke. ISBN 978-1-84299-111-4. 100 Things to do with Marmite
Various. The Bumper Book of Marmite. Bath: Absolute. ISBN 978-1-906650-12-4.
Hartley, Paul. The Little Book of Marmite Tips. Bath: Absolute.
Cookbooks Hartley, Paul. The Marmite Cookbook. Bath:
Absolute. ISBN 978-1-904573-09-8. Hartley, Paul. The Marmite World Cookbook.
Bath: Absolute. ISBN 978-1-906650-36-0. Hartley, Paul. The Marvellous Miniature Marmite
Cookbook. Bath: Absolute. ISBN 978-1-906650-54-4. See also
Ambient food Cenovis
Guinness Yeast Extract Nutritional yeast
Promite Twiglets
Vegemite References
External links Official website