A convicted murderer has lost his appeal to bring Vegemite back to Australian prisons, two decades after the yeast-based spread was banned. The product, invented in 1923 as a response to WWI disrupting Marmite imports, has become a national symbol.
Inmate's cultural rights claim rejected
Inmate Andre McKechnie, 54, who is serving life in prison, argued that the ban denied him the right to 'enjoy his culture as an Australian'. Authorities in Victoria responded that the paste could be used to disguise contraband substances and even brew alcohol behind bars.
On Monday, according to the BBC, a Supreme Court judge rejected the appeal to reintroduce Vegemite, which was banned in 2006. The judge said his 'cultural rights are limited primarily by the fact he has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment'.
Background of the case
McKechnie is serving life in prison for stabbing a property developer to death in the 90s in Queensland. In the lawsuit against Victoria's Department of Justice and Corrections, he also said that the ban breached law requiring prisons to provide food for inmates to maintain their health.
Vegemite is also banned in jails in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, with Corrections Victoria arguing that the strong smell can distract sniffer dogs doing drug searches.
Comparison with UK prisons
There is no blanket ban on Marmite, which is more runny than its Aussie cousin, in UK jails, although individual prisons can choose to remove items. Over the years, jails have restricted or removed the spread from the menu over rumours of a home-brewed drink called 'Marmite Mule'.
In 2009, the Daily Express reported bosses at HMP Dartmoor had restricted fruit juice and Marmite after a spate of 'alcohol-related' incidents. However, the science behind this is unlikely, as the yeast used to make the spread is already spent, so not alive for fermenting. The yeast comes from leftovers from beer brewing and is heated to incredibly high temperatures in the cooking process.
Restrictions are more likely in place, such as the one in Victoria, due to Marmite and Vegemite's familiar pungent smell and its impact on even the most well-trained sniffer dog.
