Australian murderer sues for right to eat Vegemite behind bars

A convicted murderer serving a life sentence in Australia is challenging a ban on prisoners consuming Vegemite — the polarising, salty spread that has become a national symbol.

State authorities say inmates may use the strong-smelling paste to disguise contraband substances or brew alcohol behind bars.

But Andre McKechnie argues that the ban, in place in the state of Victoria since 2006, denies him the right to “enjoy his culture as an Australian,” according to court documents seen by AFP and AP.

McKechnie was handed a life sentence for stabbing a property developer to death in Queensland in the 1990s. He served part of his sentence in Queensland before being transferred to Victoria.

In his lawsuit against Victoria’s Department of Justice and Corrections — the agency managing the state’s prisons — the 54-year-old said he wants the Vegemite ban overturned.

He also wants prison authorities to declare that they “failed to provide food adequate to maintain [his] wellbeing.”

The case is scheduled for trial next year, AP reported.

A much-loved breakfast spread for some, Vegemite has gained both admiration and controversy since it first hit Australian store shelves in 1923. The thick, brown spread — made primarily from yeast extract — was invented in Melbourne as an alternative to the British spread Marmite.

In 2022, Melbourne declared the smell of Vegemite wafting from a factory in the city a “significant” aspect of the city’s cultural heritage. However, its polarising taste has also landed it in Sweden’s Disgusting Food Museum — alongside natto, stinky tofu, and monkey brains.

— BBC

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