Concerned Australian official calls Vegemite a 'precursor to misery'

Several containers of Vegemite.
(Image credit: Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

It's Australia's most misunderstood food product, and one government official claims it could also be contributing to "antisocial behavior" in some communities.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said that Vegemite, the much-maligned salty spread with brewer's yeast as a key ingredient, is being purchased in bulk and used to make moonshine, the BBC reports. Scullion called it a "precursor to misery," and said in remote areas where alcohol is banned due to addiction concerns, Vegemite sales should be restricted: "Businesses in these communities...have a responsibility to report any purchase that may raise their own suspicions." He also said in some areas, children are drinking too much of the Vegemite-based alcohol, and are so hungover they can't attend school.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.