MARMITE

"What's Denmark doing, banning Marmite?". I was hardly off the plane, before I was being bombarded by irate Brits, angrily standing up for a cherished icon.

I suppose I should have been prepared. I had received E-Mails before I had left, telling me that this was the number one item on the BBC evening news, and demanding answers. So I did some research. Yes, the Danish authorities had stopped the sale of Marmite here. However, that was because all products that have added vitamins and/or minerals require a licence, and the manufacturers of Marmite had not asked for one. The Danes were at pains to stress that they had not said no to a licence, they just hadn't been asked for one. It was all a bit of a misunderstanding.

And a bit of a storm in a teacup. I have never seen Marmite sold in a shop here, and I don't know a single Dane who says they like it. Perhaps that's why they didn't apply for a licence, it wasn't worth the cost. 

Walter Blotscher