Some cynics have the Marmite shortage pegged as little more than a marketing stunt. I don't know about that but what is certain is those little pots of "black gold" are disappearing fast from our supermarket shelves as Kiwis hunker down for "Marmageddon".
There may be no more until about July, according to Sanitarium. Production at the Christchurch plant that makes Marmite - the only plant where it's made - was halted due to earthquake damage.
Personally, I've never eaten much Marmite - or Vegemite - but it seems quite a lot of Kiwis can't do without it and have reacted to news of the shortage by stocking up. Others, of course, are seeing the lighter side of the situation and trying to sell their part-eaten pots of Marmite online, as we report today. Some people are clearly taking this way too seriously, reacting angrily to attempts to profit from selling used Marmite. However, the gravity of a shortage of something deemed to be a New Zealand food icon should never be underestimated.
When we grow up with something, it becomes a comfort to us and we struggle to come to terms with losing it if it's suddenly taken away.
Am I alone in still mourning the demise of Snifters?
