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Feb 27 2002 Post Icon

Marmite, the essence of Britishness

By: Seamus Waldron Published: 27 February 2002

The savoury spread Marmite was the subject of a Commons motion.

Former sports minister Tony Banks said that 2002 marked the 100th anniversary of its creation. His motion said: "We take intense satisfaction from the essential Britishness of the product and its lack of appeal for the majority of the world's population."

Also, thanks to a Reuters [here], this site is spreading the word of Marmite to literally thousands of new site visitors as the article is published around the world.

To quote from the article; "The Marmite debate may not be given parliamentary time, but the debate rages on the Internet on websites such as www.ihatemarmite.com" - Wayhay!!

Update, March 2026: The "Marmite as essence of Britishness" argument is being tested for real. McCormick's announced acquisition of Unilever's foods business means Marmite is moving into American ownership for the first time in 124 years, and Britain has reacted exactly as you would expect. The reaction is itself the proof of the original premise.

Provenance: Originally published on ilovemarmite.com (the site's original domain, 2000–2016). Republished here on ilovemarmite.co.uk in 2025 after the .com domain was lost. Original publication date preserved above.

Tags: marmitearchivedbritishbritishculturepoliticshistoryunileverheritage
Categories: British National Identity , Pop Culture References , News & Current Events

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