Post #293,713
9/26/07 10:33:56 PM
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I didn't know it was contraband.
I like vegemite. Haven't had any in awhile. Now I guess I can't get any. Will see if Whole Foods still has any in stock, but I doubt it.
Oh well.
Enjoy your score.
Smile,
Amy
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Post #293,726
9/26/07 11:41:20 PM
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I got in with a jar okay.
Mind you, it was a very small jar, it was the only food item I was carrying, it was at JFK airport and it was very late at night and for some reason I was near the back of the line. The customs agent didn't even want to see it.
BTW, you missed out on some at the beepbash this year. :-)
Wade.
Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
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Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please
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-- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. | · my ·
· [link|http://staticsan.livejournal.com/|blog] ·
· [link|http://yceran.org/|website] · |
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Post #293,727
9/26/07 11:55:32 PM
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So I heard.
I really wish we hadn't missed BeepBash.
Truly!
Madly.
Deeply!
Sigh.
Smile,
Amy
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Post #293,745
9/27/07 6:52:10 AM
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It was delish!
Salty, sharp, organic goodness.
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Post #293,731
9/27/07 1:22:03 AM
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It's not.
[link|http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/vegemite.asp|http://www.snopes.co...ings/vegemite.asp]
-YendorMike
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Historical Review of Pennsylvania
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Post #293,732
9/27/07 1:27:12 AM
9/27/07 1:37:37 AM
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Note - I already discounted Snopes . . .
. . with direct quotes from the FDA and Homeland Security. In this case Snopes is wrong and has been specifically declared wrong by a number of interested sources.
If Kraft Foods won't ship until the FDA gives them a letter, they must have a strong expectation of their goods being confiscated.
As with all other food items carried into the U.S. it's really the individual customs inspectors who make the decision. They can confiscate even if the policy isn't official - or they can let it go. The Los Angeles Times did considerable investigation on this.
Vegemite is illegal, so an inspector can confiscate if s/he choses. Marmite I understand is also illegal (for some other reason) but hasn't caught the eye of the inspectors so far.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #293,734
9/27/07 2:06:48 AM
9/27/07 2:27:39 AM
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Where did you see the quotes?
Cause I can't find them. The only quotes I have seen say that there is no ban: "There is no ban on Vegemite," US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokesman Mike Herndon said.
...
"One of the Vitamin B components (in Vegemite) is folate," Mr Herndon said.
"In and of itself, it's not a violation. If they're adding folate to it, boosting it up, technically it would be a violation.
"But the FDA has not targeted it and I don't think we intend to target Vegemite simply because of that."
...
But Mr Herndon said, "Nobody at the FDA has told them (Kraft) there is a ban".
To eradicate any grey areas or potential regulation breaches, Mr Herndon said, Kraft could petition the FDA, something other food manufacturers have done. [link|http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20641599-1702,00.html|news.com.au] As you note, this doesn't keep individual border agents from confiscating it. And it does sound like Kraft is being overly cautious about sending any here, must not be a big enough part of their business to worry about. Seamus
Edited by Seamus
Sept. 27, 2007, 02:27:39 AM EDT
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Post #293,735
9/27/07 2:27:16 AM
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Kraft is aware of Mike Herndon's quote . . .
. . and they say he is not fully informed - they do add foliate to the product, therefor by Mr. Hendron's criteria Vegemite is in violation.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #293,736
9/27/07 2:33:31 AM
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That was the point
That was what Herndon said, adding is a violation, but it still has to be added to the banned list.
I asked for the links because I was curious and was hoping to read more about it. Not sure why, probably because it 2 in the morning, I can't sleep and I have a cousin who was a border patrol agent before he went to law school.
Seamus
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Post #293,749
9/27/07 8:13:57 AM
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Linkies.
[link|http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/highlights/inthenews/cbp_responds/rumor.xml|Customs], [link|http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/10/24/us-bans-vegemite/|Homeland Stupidity], [link|http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/11/01/vegemite-ban-update/|Homeland Stupidity]. See the links within (though some give 404s).
HTH a bit.
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #293,752
9/27/07 8:28:55 AM
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I have seen these. None of them cantain quotes from anyone
in the US govt saying anything other than there is no ban: Why is CBP Seizing Vegemite?
(10/31/2006)Rumor: CBP is seizing vegemite at the border because of its added folate.
Fact: The Code of Federal Regulations #172.345 allows folate to be added to a small number of foods, but vegemite is not one of them. However, according to the Food and Drug Administration, that there is no known prohibition on the importation of vegemite.
Therefore, there is no official policy within CBP targeting vegemite for interception. Just because some border patrol agents have fallen for the same hoax doesn't mean it still isn't a hoax, just a damned effective hoax. Seamus
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Post #293,757
9/27/07 9:48:41 AM
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It's not a hoax.
I assume it's benign neglect and different interpretations.
Kraft isn't exporting Vegemite to the US because it doesn't meet FDA regs on added folate.
A [link|http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20641599-1702,00.html|news.com.au] story with quotes (cited by others).
My take: A person can bring Vegemite to the US, but the border patrol can seize it if they choose. They're just not "targeting" it.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #293,771
9/27/07 1:34:55 PM
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It's a scam
to pump up the price of black market vegemite!
Yeah! that's the ticket!
Why, we could make millions ;-)
Smile,
Amy
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Post #293,776
9/27/07 1:39:47 PM
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:-)
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Post #293,784
9/27/07 2:26:21 PM
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The hoax part of the story is the personal use
side of the story. The part where people try to say it is illegal to bring it into the country for personal use.
The border patrol agents who decide to confiscate it are the ones falling for the hoax. Providing documentation and asking to see a supervisor may get you around the issue, but maybe not.
What is going on with Kraft, I don't know, but it doesn't seem to be a big enough deal for anyone, outside of Kraft, to actually worry about.
Seamus
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Post #293,786
9/27/07 2:40:29 PM
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Oh, some people are worrying . . .
. . such as the commenter at the bottom of this [link|http://www.simplyoz.com/products/aussie_food/groceries/vegemite|Vegemite Page] - but probably not very much.
While Kraft won't ship the stuff, I'm sure there's people buying wholesale lots and shipping it in containers of other stuff. At the price it's sold for here they can afford to lose a lot now and then. I got mine for $3.89 for 4 ounces, which is a dollar less than the going rate.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #293,788
9/27/07 2:55:28 PM
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Yes it certianly does seem that way
I don't understand this obsession with Vegemite, but then again I didn't grow up on the stuff.
I was really referring to the bureaucrats who could help score some points with the Aussies by getting Vegemite on the approved list. Who knows they might be so grateful that they send some troops to help with the surge.
Seamus
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Post #293,789
9/27/07 3:03:51 PM
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If Kraft decided to push the issue . . .
. . they could probably get the FDA to approve the stuff, particularly since the FDA and other government agencies have been urging pregnant women to eat more folate to prevent birth defects.
Kraft, though, may be perfectly happy with the bootleg market since they say sales in the U.S. are rather small.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #294,009
10/1/07 11:37:24 PM
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You can never tell about US Customs.
On my return to the US from Canada, they confiscated a can of Hormel Corned Beef originally purchased in the US. Of course, the meat was originally canned in Breazil or Argentina. On the other hand, it was about lunchtime. :)
Alex
Nobody has a more sacred obligation to obey the law than those who make the law. -- Sophocles (496? - 406 BCE)
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Post #294,011
10/1/07 11:41:44 PM
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:-)
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