MP calls for action to end Marmite ban

Marmite’s makers have been urged to apply for a licence to sell the product in Denmark and end a temporary ban on the spread for having too many additives.

Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne, who represents Burton upon Trent, in Staffordshire, where Marmite is made, said: “I was appalled to hear the initial reports of a Danish ban of this much loved British product.

“I immediately took my Danish (MEP) colleagues to task, only to find that no licence had been granted in Denmark for the sale of Marmite in the first place.”

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She went on: “It is vital that either the importer or the UK producer of Marmite applies for a licence as soon as possible to test whether Marmite would really be banned or not under Danish legislation.”

The MEP said she had urged Marmite manufacturer Unilever to submit an application, adding: “Marmite lovers should be able to enjoy their favourite spread wherever they are in the EU.”

The application could still be rejected, however, if the Danish authorities deem the product contains more added vitamins then allowed by national food laws.

EU officials confirmed that there are no standardised Europe-wide regulations on such additives, but the European Commission raised the issue with the Danish authorities today, to be told that the temporary ban has been imposed because the importer has not applied for the nec- essary marketing licence for Marmite.

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