View source for Marmite

{{Short description|Savoury spread}}
{{About|the British spread|the New Zealand spread|Marmite (New Zealand)|the casserole pot|Marmite (cooking dish)}}
{{distinguish|Marimite|Marmot}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2021}}

{{Infobox company
| name   = Marmite 
| former_name  =  Marmite Food Company
| logo        = Marmite brand logo.png
| logo_size   = 200
| image       = 
| image_size  =  
| alt            = 
| caption        = 
| type = [[private company|Private]] (1902–1990)<br>[[Subsidiary]] (1990–2000)
| industry = [[food industry|Food]] 
| fate = Acquired by CPC International (then renamed "Best Foods") in 1990, became a brand of [[Unilever]] in 2000<ref>[https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Marmite_Food_Extract_Co Marmite Food Extract Co] history</ref><ref name=museum/>
| predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = -->
| successor = <!-- or: | successors = -->
| founded = {{start date and age|1902}}<ref name=unil>[https://www.unilever.co.uk/brands/foods/marmite/ Marmite brand] on Unilever</ref>
| founder = <!-- or: | founders = -->
| defunct = {{end date|2000}} (as a manufacturing company)
| hq_location_city = [[Burton upon Trent]]
| hq_location_country = [[England]]
| area_served = 
| key_people = 
| products = [[Food spread]]
| owner = [[Unilever]] (2000–present)<ref name=museum>[https://www.marmitemuseum.co.uk/marmite-history/ The history of Marmite] on Marmite Museum</ref>
| num_employees = 
| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
| parent = Best Foods Inc.<br> (1990–2000)<ref name=museum/>
| subsid = 
| brands = 
| website = {{URL|https://www.marmite.co.uk/home.html| marmite.co.uk}}
}}

'''Marmite''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɑr|m|aɪ|t}} {{respell|MAR|myte}}) is a British [[umami|savoury]] [[spread (food)|spread]] based on [[yeast extract]] invented by the Marmite Food Company in 1902.<ref>{{cite web | title=A brief history of Marmite | url=http://www.ihatemarmite.com/marmite-history.asp | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324142456/http://www.ihatemarmite.com/marmite-history.asp | archive-date=24 March 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Marmite {{!}} Unilever | url=https://www.unilever.co.uk/brands/foods/marmite/#:~:text=You%20either%20love%20it%20or,Marmite's%20Heritage | access-date=2025-08-06 | website=www.unilever.co.uk}}</ref> It is made from [[by-product]]s of [[Brewing|beer brewing]] ([[Lees (fermentation)|lees]]) and is produced by the British company [[Unilever]]. Marmite is a vegan source of [[B vitamins]], including supplementary [[Vitamin B12|vitamin B<sub>12</sub>]]. It is traditionally eaten spread thinly on buttered toast.

Marmite is a sticky dark-brown paste with a distinctive, salty, powerful flavour and heady aroma. This distinctive taste is represented in the marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it." Such is its prominence in [[British culture]] that Marmite is often used as a metaphor for something that is an [[acquired taste]] or polarises opinion.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2010/apr/22/marmite-journalism-mind-your-language |title=How Marmite spread its way through journalism |first=Amelia |last=Hodsdon |date=22 April 2010 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=26 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gabbatt |first=Adam |date=13 October 2016 |title=Marmite: Americans wonder what's all the fuss over divisive British spread? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/13/what-is-marmite-british-food-spread-tesco |access-date=16 March 2017 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Marmite is commonly used as a flavouring, as it is known for its savoury taste due to its high levels of [[glutamate flavoring|glutamate]] (1960mg/100g).<ref name=glutamate>{{cite web | url=https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/documents/MSG%20Technical%20Report.pdf | title=Sodium Glutamate: A Safety Assessment | publisher=[[Food Standards Australia New Zealand]] | date=June 2003 | access-date=11 January 2016 | archive-date=4 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111950/https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/documents/MSG%20Technical%20Report.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The image on the jar shows a [[Marmite (cooking dish)|''marmite'']] ({{IPA|fr|maʁmit|lang}}), a French term for a large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot. Marmite was originally supplied in [[earthenware]] pots but since the 1920s has been sold in glass jars. Marmite's distinctive bulbous jars are supplied by the German glass manufacturer [[Gerresheimer]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fogle|first=Ben|title=English|publisher=William Collins|year=2018|isbn=9780008222284|pages=210}}</ref>

Similar products include the Australian [[Vegemite]] (whose name is derived from that of Marmite), the Swiss [[Cenovis]], the Brazilian [[Cenovit]], the long-extinct Argentinian Condibé, the French {{Interlanguage link|Viandox|fr|Viandox}}, and the German [[Yeast extract#Vitam-R|Vitam-R]]. [[Marmite (New Zealand)|Marmite in New Zealand]] has been manufactured since 1919 under licence, but with a different recipe; it is the only one sold as ''Marmite'' in Australasia and the Pacific Islands, whereas elsewhere the British version predominates.

== History ==
The first yeast extract spread was invented during the late 19th century when the German scientist [[Justus von Liebig]] discovered that brewer's yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13541148 |website=[[BBC News]] |title=Marmite: Ten things you'll love/hate to know |date=25 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ihatemarmite.com/marmite-history.asp |title=A brief history of Marmite |website=ihatemarmite.com |access-date=26 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324142456/http://www.ihatemarmite.com/marmite-history.asp |archive-date=24 March 2012 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Initial attempts to manufacture this yeast extract for commercial purposes had little success. This was until 1902, when the Marmite Food Extract Company was formed in [[Burton upon Trent]], [[Staffordshire]], England with Marmite as its main product and Burton as the site of the first factory.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Marmite_Food_Extract_Co |title=Marmite Food Extract Co. |website=Grace's Guide |access-date=15 July 2014}}</ref> The by-product yeast needed for the paste was supplied by [[Bass Brewery]]. The initial producers of Marmite found that the yeast produced from British beer did not lend itself to the same treatment as continental yeast, which had different methods of fermentation. New machinery and manufacturing processes were implemented before a satisfactory yeast extract product was ready to market.<ref>{{cite web | title=A brief history of Marmite | url=http://www.ihatemarmite.com/marmite-history.asp | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324142456/http://www.ihatemarmite.com/marmite-history.asp | archive-date=24 March 2012 }}</ref>

By 1907, the product had become successful enough to warrant construction of a second factory at [[Camberwell Green]] in London.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.accomodata.co.uk/marmite.htm|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20021113013604/http://www.accomodata.co.uk/marmite.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 November 2002|title=AccomoDATA - Marmite|website=webarchive.loc.gov|access-date=12 August 2005}}</ref> By 1912, the [[Vitamin#History|discovery of vitamins]] was a boost for Marmite, as the spread is a rich source of the [[B vitamins|vitamin B complex]]; with the [[thiamine|vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]] deficiency [[Thiamine deficiency|beriberi]] being common during [[World War I]], the spread became more popular.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unilever.co.uk/brands/foodbrands/marmite.aspx |title=Food brands: Marmite |website=[[Unilever]] |access-date=13 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313071016/http://www.unilever.co.uk/brands/foodbrands/marmite.aspx |archive-date=13 March 2010 }}</ref> British troops during World War I were issued Marmite as part of their rations.<ref name="bbc" />

During the 1930s, Marmite was used by the English haematologist and physician researcher [[Lucy Wills]] to successfully treat a form of [[Anemia|anaemia]] in mill workers in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), [[British Raj|British India]]. She later identified [[Folate|folic acid]] as the active ingredient.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/lucy-wills-1888-1964-the-life-and-research-of-an-adventurous-independent-woman/ |last=Bastian |first=Hilda |year=2007 |title=Lucy Wills (1888–1964): The life and research of an adventurous independent woman |journal=[[Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh]] |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=89–91 |doi=10.1177/1478271520083801002 |pmid=19069045 |access-date=21 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208152523/http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/trial_records/20th_Century/1940s/wills_et_al/wills-biog.html |archive-date= 8 December 2008 }}</ref> Marmite was used to treat malnutrition by [[Suriya-Mal Movement|Suriya-Mal]] workers during the 1934–35 [[malaria]] epidemic in [[British Ceylon]] (present-day Sri Lanka).<ref>{{cite book |title=Origins of Trotskyism in Ceylon: A Documentary History of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, 1935-1942 |first=George Jan |last=Lerski |chapter-url=http://www.marxists.org/history/etol/document/srilanka/ch01.htm |chapter=Chapter I: The Party of Protest is Launched |year=1968 |publisher=The [[Hoover Institution]], [[Stanford University]] |location=Stanford, California |via=Marxists.org |access-date=29 November 2008 |quote=The two things given to each patient were a bottle of the standard [[quinine]] mixture and Marmite rolled into the form of vederala's pills. The latter was said to have been the idea of the late Dr. Mary Ratnam and to have been more effective than the quinine itself, such was the degree of starvation among the peasantry. The [[Suriya-Mal Movement|Suriya Mal]] workers were amazed to find how this little Marmite revived them and put some life back into them.}}</ref> Housewives were encouraged to spread Marmite thinly and to "use it sparingly just now" because of limited rations of the product.<ref name=thin/>

In 1990, Marmite Limited, which had become a subsidiary of [[Bovril]] Limited, was bought by [[Hellmann's and Best Foods|CPC International Inc]], which changed its name to [[Hellmann's and Best Foods|Best Foods Inc]] in 1998. Best Foods Inc subsequently merged with Unilever in 2000, and Marmite is now a trademark owned by [[Unilever]].<ref name="TradeMark">{{cite web |url=http://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2333143 |title=Trade Mark 2333143 |website=[[Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)|Intellectual Property Office (UK)]] |access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref>

== Similar products ==
{{Update|date=September 2025}}
There are a number of similar yeast products available in other countries; these products are not directly connected to the original Marmite recipe and brand. The Australian product [[Vegemite]] was developed in early 1920s by the chemist and food technologist [[Cyril Callister]] for [[Fred Walker (entrepreneur)|Fred Walker & Co.]] due to shortages of Marmite exports to Australia as a result of the First World War.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cyril Callister Biography, Achievements, Australian chemist, Food Technologist|url=http://www.aussiedigest.com/society/cyril-callister.php|access-date=2021-07-25|website=www.aussiedigest.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=By|date=2021-07-13|title=Worker of the Week: Cyril Callister|url=https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/cyrilcallister|access-date=2021-07-25|website=Devils Porridge Museum|language=en-GB}}</ref> It is now distributed in many countries. [[AussieMite]] is another marmite-like product sold in Australia. Other products include OzeMite, which is made by [[Dick Smith Foods]]; Cenovit, a Brazilian spread; [[Yeast extract#Vitam-R|Vitam-R]], a German spread; [[Cenovis]], a Swiss spread (sold internationally under the brand Sonaris); and Vegex, an [[Autolysis (biology)|autolyzed]] yeast product available in the United States since 1913.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://center-for-educational-advancement-employment.eggzack.com/vegex |title=Vegex |website=Center for Educational Advancement |date=21 June 2010 |access-date=5 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401182916/http://center-for-educational-advancement-employment.eggzack.com/vegex |archive-date=1 April 2011}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, own-branded yeast extract, very similar to Marmite, is sold by [[Sainsbury's]], [[Asda]], [[Tesco]] and [[Aldi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mylondon.news/lifestyle/food-drink/i-compared-marmite-sainsburys-tesco-19991482|title = 'I compared Marmite to supermarket versions and I'm sure one was the same'|website=[[MyLondon]] | date = 8 March 2021}}</ref>

== Usage ==
[[File:Marmite Jars.jpg|thumb|The "squeeze me" version of Marmite]]
Marmite has traditionally been eaten as a [[Umami|savoury]] spread on bread, toast, savoury biscuits or crackers, and other similar baked products. Owing to its concentrated taste, it is often spread very thinly in combination with butter or margarine.<ref name=thin>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/jan/04/advertising.foodanddrink |title=It must be spread thinly. T-h-i-n-l-y... |first=Laura |last=Barton |date=4 January 2002 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=18 February 2014}}</ref> It can be made into a savoury hot drink by adding one teaspoon to a mug of hot water, much like [[Oxo (food)|Oxo]] or [[Bovril]]. It is also commonly used to enrich [[casserole]]s and [[stew]]s.

Marmite is often paired with cheese—for example, in a cheese sandwich or a cheese-flavoured biscuit such as [[Cheddars|Mini Cheddars]]. In the UK, [[Starbucks]] offers cheese and Marmite [[Panini (sandwich)|panini]]. There are Marmite-flavoured varieties of [[Walkers (snack foods)|Walkers Crisps]], and of some brands of rice cakes and biscuits.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://starbucks.co.uk/menu/food-list/breakfast/cheese-and-marmite-panini |title=Cheese and Marmite panini |website=Starbucks.co.uk |access-date=5 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210021315/http://starbucks.co.uk/menu/food-list/breakfast/cheese-and-marmite-panini |archive-date=10 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Marmite has also been used as an ingredient in cocktails, including the Marmite Cocktail and the Marmite Gold Rush.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diffordsguide.com/class-magazine/read-online/en/2012-10-30/page-5/marmite |title=DIY: The Marmite Cocktail |website=Difford's Guide |date=5 November 2012 |access-date=20 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019125707/http://www.diffordsguide.com/class-magazine/read-online/en/2012-10-30/page-5/marmite |archive-date=19 October 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://london.langhamhotels.co.uk/restaurants/marmite_cocktail.htm |title=Marmite Cocktail Gold Rush |website=[[Langham Hospitality Group|Langham Hotels]] |date=20 September 2014 |access-date=20 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110052401/http://london.langhamhotels.co.uk/restaurants/marmite_cocktail.htm |archive-date=10 November 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Murphy |first=Patricia |date=4 May 2014 |url=http://www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/food-news/salty-savoury-the-new-trend-in-cocktails-30239386.html |title=Salty Savoury: The new trend in cocktails? |newspaper=[[Irish Independent]] |access-date=23 February 2015}}</ref>

Celebrity chefs have created signature Marmite-flavoured recipes: [[Nigella Lawson]] has one for Marmite spaghetti, and [[Heston Blumenthal]] has one for Marmite [[consommé]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spaghetti With Marmite|url=http://www.nigella.com/recipes/spaghetti-with-marmite|access-date=4 July 2020|website=Nigella.com|language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, Marmite launched a campaign on Instagram—"The Great Marmite Experiment"—encouraging people to share their Marmite-flavoured recipes. The many entries in response included roast potatoes, beef Wellington and cookies.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Marmite (@marmite) • Instagram photos and videos|url=https://www.instagram.com/marmite/|access-date=4 July 2020|website=[[Instagram]]|language=en}}</ref>

In Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, Marmite is enjoyed stirred into [[congee]] (savoury rice porridge), and in an intensely savoury Malaysian dish (local Chinese dish) called Marmite chicken, consisting of fried pieces of chicken tossed in a Marmite sauce.

== Manufacture ==
While the process is secret, the general method for making yeast extract on a commercial scale is to add salt to a suspension of yeast, making the solution [[tonicity|hypertonic]], which results in the cells shrivelling; this triggers [[Autolysis (biology)|autolysis]], during which the yeast self-destructs. The dying yeast cells are then heated to complete their breakdown, and since yeast cells have thick cell walls which would detract from the smoothness of the end product, the husks are sieved out. As with other yeast extracts, Marmite contains free [[Glutamate flavoring|glutamic acid]], the monosodium salt of which being [[monosodium glutamate]].

Currently, the main ingredients of Marmite are glutamic acid-rich yeast extract, with lesser quantities of salt, vegetable extract, spice extracts and celery extracts, although the precise composition is a [[trade secret]]. Vitamins added for [[food fortification]] include riboflavin, folic acid, and [[Vitamin B12|vitamin B{{sub|12}}]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marmite.co.uk/love/nutrition/ingredients.html|title=Marmite ingredients (company web site)|website=Marmite.co.uk|access-date=21 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723184424/http://www.marmite.co.uk/love/nutrition/ingredients.html|archive-date=23 July 2008}}</ref> Vitamin B{{sub|12}} is not naturally found in yeast extract, but is very important for vegans who are at risk of deficiency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Vegetarianhealth/Pages/Vegandiets.aspx|title=The vegan diet - Live Well|website=[[NHS Choices]]|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-date=22 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322135951/https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Vegetarianhealth/Pages/Vegandiets.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Nutritional information ==
{|class="wikitable floatright""
|+Nutrient quantities of Marmite Reduced Salt<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.marmite.co.uk/nutrition-information.html |title=Nutrition Information |website=Marmite.co.uk |access-date=10 November 2018}}</ref>
! Nutrient !! per<br />100 g !! per 8 g<br />serving!!% RDA
|- style="text-align:center;"
| colspan=4 |<sub>% RDA = % of Recommended Daily Allowance</sub><br /><sup>provided by 8 g suggested serving)</sup>
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | Energy || 1153 [[Joule|kJ]] || 92 kJ || rowspan="9" | &nbsp;
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Calorie]]s || 271 [[Calorie|kcal]] || 22 kcal
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Protein]] || 39 g || 3.1 g
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Carbohydrate]]s || 29 g || 2.3 g
|- style="text-align:right;"
| ''of which sugars'' || ''0.6 g'' || ''<0.5 g''
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | Fat || <0.5 g || <0.5 g
|- style="text-align:right;"
| ''of which [[Saturated fat|saturates]]'' || ''<0.1 g'' || ''<0.1 g''
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Dietary fiber|Fibre]] || 3.1 g || 0.1 g
|- style="text-align:right;"
|align=left |Salt || 6.1 g || 0.49 g
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Thiamine]] (B<sub>1</sub>) || 13.6&nbsp;mg || 1.09&nbsp;mg || align=left | 99%
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Riboflavin]] (B<sub>2</sub>) || 8.5&nbsp;mg || 0.68&nbsp;mg || align=left | 49%
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Vitamin B3|Niacin]] (B<sub>3</sub>) || 86&nbsp;mg || 6.9&nbsp;mg ||align=left | 43%
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Folate|Folic Acid]] (B<sub>9</sub>) || 1500&nbsp;μg || 120&nbsp;μg || align=left | 60%
|- style="text-align:right;"
| align=left | [[Vitamin B12|Vitamin B<sub>12</sub>]] || 25&nbsp;μg || 2&nbsp;μg || align=left | 80%
|}
Marmite is rich in B vitamins including [[thiamine]] (B<sub>1</sub>), [[riboflavin]] (B<sub>2</sub>), [[Vitamin B3|niacin]] (B<sub>3</sub>), and [[Folate|folic acid]] (B<sub>9</sub>). Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> is only available through artificial enrichment; riboflavin and folic acid are added on top of the naturally occurring amount. The sodium content of the spread is high and has caused concern, although it is the amount per serving rather than the percentage in bulk Marmite that is relevant. The main ingredient of Marmite is yeast extract, which contains a high concentration of glutamic acid. Marmite is not [[Gluten-free diet|gluten-free]], as it is made with wheat, and although it is thoroughly washed, it may contain small quantities of [[gluten]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marmite.co.uk/faq.html|title = FAQs}}</ref> (Sodium amount is noted as table salt-equivalent in UK nutritional labels. 6.1 g of salt corresponds to 2.4 g of sodium.)

Marmite is [[Contraindication|contraindicated]] if a person takes a [[monoamine oxidase inhibitor]] antidepressant, such as [[phenelzine]] (Nardil) or [[tranylcypromine]] (Parnate), as yeast extracts interact adversely with these types of medications due to their [[tyramine]] content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/maois/faq-20058035 |title=Depression (major depressive disorder) |first=Daniel K. |last=Hall-Flavin |website=[[Mayo Clinic]] |date=19 January 2016 |access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>

== Storage ==
Marmite should be stored in the dark and kept cool, but should not be refrigerated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perlman |first=Elisabeth |date=2020-03-12 |title=Fridge or cupboard: where should it go? |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/fridge-or-cupboard-where-should-it-go-mr62tnd95 |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}</ref> The "[[Expiration date|best before]]" date is given as guidance for the loss of vitamins rather than [[Food safety|safety]].{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

== Marketing ==
{{Quote box
| quote  = "I remember sitting in my office looking at the brief and saying to Richard [Flintham], 'I fucking hate Marmite.' And he said 'Oh, I love it.' And we both just looked at each other."
| width  = 20%
| author = Andy McLeod of marketing agency [[DDB Worldwide|BMP DDB]] on the creation of the "Love it or Hate it" campaign<ref>{{Cite news|last=House|first=Arthur|date=2021-06-17|title=Marketing Marmite: how an advertising agency started a culture war|work=[[1843 (magazine)|1843]]|url=https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/06/17/marketing-marmite-how-an-advertising-agency-started-a-culture-war|access-date=2021-06-27|issn=0013-0613}}</ref>
}}
Marmite's publicity campaigns initially emphasised the spread's healthy nature, extolling it as "The growing up spread you never grow out of". The first major Marmite advertising campaign began during the 1930s, with characters whose faces incorporated the word "good". Soon afterwards, the increasing awareness of vitamins was used in Marmite advertising, with slogans proclaiming that "A small quantity added to the daily diet will ensure you and your family are taking sufficient vitamin B to keep nerves, brain, and digestion in proper working order".

During the 1980s, the spread was advertised with the slogan "My mate, Marmite", chanted in television commercials by an army platoon. The spread had been a standard vitamin supplement for British-based German [[Prisoner of war|POW]]s during the Second World War. For many years television advertisements for Marmite featured the 1975 song "[[Low Rider]]" by the American [[funk]] band [[War (band)|War]] with the lyrics changed to the phrase "My Mate, Marmite".

=== Love/hate polarisation ===
By the 1990s Marmite's distinctive and powerful flavour had earned it as many detractors as it had fans, and it was known for producing a polarised "love/hate" reaction amongst consumers. Marmite began a "Love it or Hate it" campaign in October 1996, and this resulted in the inventing of the phrase "Marmite effect" or "Marmite reaction" for anything which provoked controversy.<ref>[[Cath Kidston]], appearing on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' programme in April 2010 described her shops as provoking a 'Marmite reaction': "People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us." {{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b010lyy4/Desert_Island_Discs_Cath_Kidston/ |title=Desert Island Discs: Cath Kidston |date=29 April 2010 |website=[[BBC]] |access-date=29 April 2011}}</ref> On 22 April 2010, Unilever threatened legal action against the [[British National Party]] (BNP) for using a jar of Marmite and the "love it or hate it" slogan in a [[party political broadcast]].<ref>{{cite news |title=BNP facing Marmite legal action |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8637473.stm |access-date=22 April 2010 |website=BBC News |date=22 April 2010}}</ref>

== Availability worldwide ==
[[File:Our Mate jar of UK Made Marmite Spread branded for sale in Australia.JPG|thumb|left|upright=.6|''Our Mate'' – Marmite branded for sale in Australia and New Zealand]]
Because of the [[Marmite (New Zealand)|local product named ''Marmite'']], European Marmite is sold by the name "Our Mate" in Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand Marmite uses the name "NZ-Mite" elsewhere.{{cn|date=September 2023}}

=== Denmark ===
In Denmark, food safety legislation dictates that foodstuffs that contain added vitamins can only be sold by retailers which have been licensed by the Veterinary and Food Administration.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13541148 |title=Marmite: Ten things you'll love/hate to know |date=25 May 2011 |website=BBC News}}</ref> In May 2011, the company that imports the product to Denmark revealed that it was not licensed and had therefore stopped selling the product: this resulted in widespread but inaccurate reports by the British media that Marmite had been banned by the Danish authorities.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/24/denmark-bans-marmite?intcmp=239 |title=Spread no more: Denmark bans Marmite |date=24 May 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Jason |last=Heppenstall}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8533896/Marmite-made-illegal-in-Denmark.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8533896/Marmite-made-illegal-in-Denmark.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Marmite made illegal in Denmark |date=25 May 2011 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |first=Bruno |last=Waterfield}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration stated in 2015 that Marmite had not been banned in the country, but that fortified foods need to be tested for safety and approved before they can be marketed in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Marmite not banned in Denmark |url=http://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/english/ImportExport/Legislation_on_import_of_food/Pages/Marmite-not-banned-in-Denmark.aspx |website=Danish Veterinary and Food Administration |access-date=14 January 2016}}</ref> The issue was resolved in 2016, after the completion of a 2014 supplier-requested test.<ref>{{cite news |title=Vikings defeated! Marmite back on Danish shelves |url=http://cphpost.dk/news14/national-news14/vikings-defeated-marmite-back-on-danish-shelves.html |access-date=14 January 2016 |newspaper=[[The Copenhagen Post]] |date=22 August 2014|language=da}}</ref>

=== Canada ===
On 24 January 2014, the [[Canadian Food Inspection Agency]] was noted, in a [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] story, as preparing to stop the sale of Marmite, as well as Vegemite and [[Ovaltine]], in Canada because they were enriched with vitamins and minerals which were not listed by Canadian food regulations. The agency said the products were not a health hazard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-shoppers-stocking-up-on-banned-british-scottish-items-1.2510141 |title=Ottawa shoppers stocking up on banned British, Scottish items |website=[[CBC News]] |date=24 January 2014 |access-date=25 January 2014}}</ref>
The CFIA later specified that these specific items had been seized because they were not the versions that are formulated for sale in Canada and which satisfy all Canadian food regulations. Canadian versions of Marmite and the other products would still be permitted to be sold in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/seizure-of-british-foods-an-isolated-incident-cfia-says-1.2511615 |title=Seizure of British foods an isolated incident, CFIA says |website=CBC News |date=26 January 2014 |access-date=6 February 2014}}</ref>

In April 2025, after vegemite was once more taken off the shelves of an Australian owned cafe in Toronto by the CFIA, Australian PM [[Anthony Albanese]] expressed his support of vegemite over marmite and stated that he found it "rather odd" that Canada permitted vegemite's "rubbish" rival product Marmite.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-22 |title='Hats off': Cafe owner in Canada praises Aussie PM for helping in Vegemite row |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr4nkvxpl5po |access-date=2025-11-19 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-18 |title=Australian murderer sues for right to Vegemite behind bars |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j86xydjpro |access-date=2025-11-19 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== South Africa ===
Marmite is manufactured by licence in South Africa by [[Pioneer Foods]] in its traditional form.

South Africa also produces a bottled, long-life Marmite-flavoured cheese spread. It is light in texture and contains a hint of Marmite.<ref>{{cite web |title=The South African Marmite Cheese Spread (close up) – Marmite Museum |url=https://www.marmitemuseum.co.uk/the-collection/the-jars/sa-marmite-cheese-zoom/ |website=www.marmitemuseum.co.uk}}</ref>

== Special editions ==
[[File:Marmite-Guinness edition.JPG|thumb|150px|Limited edition [[Guinness]] Marmite]]
[[File:Marmite packaging UK 2012.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Three types of special Marmite packaging available during 2012]]
In 2002 a 100th anniversary jar was released.{{cn|date=September 2025}}

In February 2007, Marmite produced a limited edition [[Guinness]] Marmite of 300,000 jars of {{convert|250|g|adj=on}} of their yeast extract with 30% Guinness yeast, giving it a noticeable hint of "Guinness" flavour. In January 2008 Champagne Marmite was released for [[Valentine's Day]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://thefoodielist.co.uk/wp/limited-edition-champagne-marmite/ | title = Limited Edition Champagne Marmite | website=The Foodielist | date=11 January 2008 | access-date=26 May 2010}}</ref> with a limited-edition production of 600,000 units initially released exclusively to [[Selfridges]] of London. The product had 0.3% champagne added to the recipe, and a modified heart-shaped label with "I love you" in place of the logo.

In 2009 a limited edition [[Carlsberg Britvic#Beers|Marston's Pedigree]] Marmite was initiated to celebrate the [[2009 Ashes series|2009 Ashes Cricket test series]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Wallop | first = Harry | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/5421114/Marmite-limited-edition-cricket-spread-to-celebrate-Ashes.html | title = Marmite limited-edition 'cricket spread' to celebrate Ashes | newspaper=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | date=1 June 2009 | access-date=21 June 2009}}</ref>

In March 2010, a "super-strength" version of Marmite was released, called Marmite XO (XO standing for "extra old"). Marmite XO is matured for 28 days, four times longer than usual. The original Marmite XO's cap was black, and has a black and gold label.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-03-05|title=The extract factor: is Marmite toast?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/mar/05/marmite-toast-xo-yeast-extract|access-date=2022-01-30|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> In July 2019, Marmite XO returned due to popular demand. The 2019 version has an off-white cap as opposed to the original black.<ref>{{cite web|title=Marmite XO returns|url=https://www.marmite.co.uk/marmite-xo-is-back.html|access-date=12 July 2019|website=Marmite.co.uk}}</ref>

In April 2012, a special-edition jar in commemoration of the [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II]] was released. With the product renamed "Ma'amite", the redesigned label featured a colour scheme based upon the [[Union Jack]]; the marmite and spoon logo replaced by a gold crown, and with a red rather than yellow cap.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://creativity-online.com/work/marmite-maamite/27300 |title=Marmite: Ma'amite – Print (image) |website=[[Creativity (magazine)|Creativity Online]] |date=23 April 2012 |access-date=12 July 2012 |archive-date=11 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511083352/http://creativity-online.com/work/marmite-maamite/27300 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The front label also declares "Made with 100% British Yeast". Coinciding with the 110th anniversary of the brand, production was limited to 300,000 jars.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tamebay.com/2012/04/jubilee-marmite-maamite-already-for-sale-on-ebay.html |title=Blog : Jubilee Marmite – Ma'amite – already for sale on eBay |website=Tamebay |date=24 April 2012 |access-date=12 July 2012 |archive-date=16 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116223935/http://tamebay.com/2012/04/jubilee-marmite-maamite-already-for-sale-on-ebay.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> For Christmas 2012 a gold limited edition was begun, containing edible gold-coloured flecks.

Marmite chocolate is also available.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chocablog.com/reviews/marmite-very-peculiar-milk-chocolate/ |title=Marmite Very Peculiar Milk Chocolate |website=Chocablog.com |date=12 October 2010 |access-date=26 August 2016}}</ref>

In 2015 Marmite Summer of Love Special Edition featured a [[flower power]]-themed label. This special edition's blend had a lighter taste made using 100% lager yeast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marmite.co.uk/2015-limited-edition-summer-of-love-jars |title=2015 Summer of Love |website=Marmite.co.uk |access-date=15 November 2016}}</ref>

On 25 March 2019, Marmite [[peanut butter]] was introduced.<ref>{{cite news | last = O'Malley | first = Katie | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/marmite-peanut-butter-launch-uk-twitter-a8834846.html | title = Marmite peanut butter just launched in the UK | newspaper=[[The Independent]] | date=23 March 2019 | access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>

On 2 May 2022, Marmite [[Truffle]] was launched and sold exclusively in [[Sainsbury's]], along with Marmite 'Dynamite', a chilli-flavoured Marmite spread. The Marmite [[Truffle]] was marketed with a variation of the 'Love it or Hate it' slogan designed to make it sound more sophisticated: "One either loves it or considers it utterly vulgar".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.marmite.co.uk/products/marmite-truffle.html | title=Marmite Truffle |website=marmite.co.uk}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Food}}
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order and add a short description if appropriate [[WP:SEEALSO]] -->
* [[Shelf-stable food]]
* [[Guinness Yeast Extract]]
* [[List of spreads]]
* [[Lees (fermentation)]]
* [[Nutritional yeast]]
* [[Promite]]
* [[Twiglets]]
* [[Miso]]
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order and add a short description if appropriate [[WP:SEEALSO]] -->

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Unilever}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brand name condiments]]
[[Category:British condiments]]
[[Category:Culture of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Food brands of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Food paste]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1902]]
[[Category:Umami enhancers]]
[[Category:Unilever brands]]
[[Category:Vegan cuisine]]
[[Category:Yeast extract spreads]]