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NORWAY EXPLAINED

EXPLAINED: Is Marmite really banned in Norway?

A recent post on social media site X about Marmite being "unlawful" in Norway stirred up quite a debate. But is the claim true?

Published: 12 February 2024 14:25 CET
Marmite
The confusion surrounding Marmite's status in Norway may have stemmed from a similar incident in Denmark back in 2011. Photo by david Griffiths on Unsplash

Recently, a tweet by Reverend Richard Coles, a former Church of England parish priest and broadcaster, stirred up a social media storm when he claimed that Marmite, the famously divisive British spread, was unlawful in Norway.

 

Coles’ tweet went somewhat viral, attracting over 65 thousand views and sparking a range of reactions from amused to incredulous, as many questioned whether such a ban truly existed.

 

Making sense of the confusion

The confusion surrounding Marmite’s status in Norway may have stemmed from a similar incident in Denmark back in 2011.

READ MORE: ‘Danish Marmite ban, be damned’: British ex-pat

At that time, Marmite was wrongly labelled as “banned” due to Danish laws restricting products fortified with added vitamins.

While the Danish government clarified that Marmite was not banned but required marketing authorisation to comply with EU health claim rules, the initial reports caused a stir.

The Danish Embassy in London emphasised that neither Marmite nor similar spreads like Vegemite were banned, but they lacked the necessary approvals for marketing in Denmark under EU regulations.

“Fortified foods with added vitamins, minerals or other substances can not be marketed in Denmark unless approved by Danish food authorities. According to the Danish Order on food additives, the addition of vitamins, minerals, and other substances need to be approved by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration before the product can be marketed in Denmark,” the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, according to a NutraIngredients EUROPE 2011 article.

No Marmite ban in Norway

However, despite the confusion in Denmark, there is no ban on Marmite in Norway.

While it may not be as readily available in Norwegian stores, particularly outside major cities like Oslo, it can still be found in select food shops.

Places like Iceland in Oslo and some Europris shops in Bergen stock Marmite, although it might require some searching in other areas of the country.

So, while the myth of Marmite’s ban in parts of Scandinavia may persist, the truth is that you can still get your hands on this beloved – or reviled – spread (their slogan is “you’ll love it or hate it” after all) in Norway.

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FOOD AND DRINK

How two women in Norway aim to bring seaweed to new heights in Europe

In the chilly waters of the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway, two women want to bring the area's seaweed to fine dining tables across Norway and Europe.

Published: 23 April 2024 08:49 CEST
How two women in Norway aim to bring seaweed to new heights in Europe

In the glacial waters of the Lofoten archipelago in Norway’s far north, Angelita Eriksen uses a knife to cut a handful of seaweed that will soon end up in a fancy European eatery.

“We have the cleanest and clearest waters in the world. We’re very lucky that we have this really important resource growing right outside our doorstep,” Eriksen told AFP in a cabin on the shores of the northern Atlantic Ocean where the seaweed is laid out to dry.

“We want to show that to the world.”

The daughter of a Norwegian fisherman, Eriksen joined forces with New Zealand-born Tamara Singer, whose Japanese mother served seaweed with almost every meal, to start the company Lofoten Seaweed — specialising in harvesting and preparing seaweed for the food industry.

With the help of six others, they hand-pick 11 tonnes of seaweed a year, the snow-capped mountains plummeting into the sea behind them in a dramatic tableau.

It’s a demanding and “physical job”, said Eriksen.

The peak season runs from late April until June, but “we harvest the dulse, the nori and the sea truffle in the winter and fall”.

“It can be quite cold, as we can stay out for about an hour along the shore”, with lower legs and hands submerged in the chilly water.

By “late May, I’m actually sweating in my suit”.

Norwegian Co-Founder of "Lofoten Seaweed" Angelita Eriksen picks up Winged Kelp seaweeds in knee deep water.

Norwegian Co-Founder of “Lofoten Seaweed” Angelita Eriksen picks up Winged Kelp seaweeds. (Photo by Olivier Morin/ AFP)

One time, she said, “I took my glove off and the steam was just rising up”.

“It’s physically hard but at the same time it’s very meditative, or therapeutic in a way, to harvest,” she says.

‘Delicate’

Truffle seaweed, winged kelp, nori, dulse, sugar kelp, oarweed kelp: the pair focus on about 10 types of seaweed, long eaten in Japan and increasingly popular in Europe for their nutritional qualities.

The seaweed is sold locally or shipped to gourmet restaurants in Norway and the rest of Europe.

The two women organise workshops to teach chefs about the different varieties and the qualities of each type.

“Seaweeds are like vegetables, they have their own texture, taste and colours,” says Singer.

She said it was a “huge surprise” how many European chefs had little or no knowledge of the different flavours and ways of preparing seaweed.

The duo have worked with Japanese chefs “who know exactly what to do, you don’t have to tell them anything”.

“It’s just so natural for them. It’s like giving a piece of fish to a North Norwegian,” says Singer.

Some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away, chef Josh Wing has been serving the pair’s products in his high-end restaurant Hattvika Lodge for about five years.

He is well versed and does not need to take part in their workshops anymore.

Wing is particularly fond of the dulse, a “very delicate purple seaweed”, which he serves with local fish dishes or bread.

It “can provide a physical texture in a dish that you can’t get from other products”, he tells AFP.

US Chef Josh Haner prepares a dish based on seaweed condiments, surrounded by algae containers. (Photo by Olivier Morin/ AFP)

To ensure that their business is sustainable, Eriksen and Singer have mapped and dated their harvest sites, as well as the volumes of each species, for the past four years.

“Our results show that the regrowth in recently-harvested patches is actually faster than anticipated, almost as if a harvest actually stimulates growth,” says Singer.

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