The world has gone mad!

[krazykitkat]

Story via bantha_fodder. Didn't the Federal govenment insist on a Vegemite clause in the FTA???

From here:

THE United States has slapped a ban on Vegemite, outraging Australian expatriates there.
The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite contains folate, which in the US can be added only to breads and cereals.

Expatriates say that enforcement of the ban has been stepped up recently and is ruining lifelong traditions of having Vegemite on toast for breakfast.

Former Geelong man Daniel Fogarty, who now lives in Calgary, Canada, said he was stunned when searched while crossing the US border recently.

"The border guard asked us if we were carrying any Vegemite," Mr Fogarty said.

"I was flabbergasted." Paul Watkins, who owns a store called About Australia in San Antonio, Texas, said he had been forced to stop importing Vegemite six months ago.

"We have completely stopped bringing it in," he said.

"(US authorities) have made a stance and there is nothing that can be done about it."


Mum just asked whether they can get around the ban by relabelling it as axle grease.

eta: and they only allow folate to be added to breads and cereals? I can understand legislating that it must be added to those foods, but to restrict it to only those foods? How does that make any sense?

Comments

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

I can kinda understand that then leading to a restriction on the business importing (the basic regulation is still stupid), but they seem to be stopping people who've got a jar in their bag for personal use too.

[baked-goldfish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's our "highly trained" TSA and border patrol workers, there. They probably have no idea what the actual regs are, or the regs are so poorly worded that they don't understand.

I mean, these are the same type of people who'll force a mother to taste her breastmilk before taking it on a plane, but will somehow still let knives and other dangerous objects get through.