First it was Vegemite, then it was Ovaltine - now the Danish government has banned importing New Zealand's beloved breakfast spread, Marmite.

The Kiwi favourite has been outlawed by legislation that prohibits products fortified with added vitamins, the Guardian reports.

Copenhagen passed the legislation in 2004, but until now, Marmite had snuck under the Danish authorities' radar.

Marmite was first made in England in 1902, but has been manufactured in New Zealand since 1919.

"What am I supposed to put on my toast now?" British advertising executive Colin Smith, who has lived in the country for six years, asked the Guardian.

"I still have a bit left in the cupboard, but it's not going to last long."

Foodstuffs store owner Marianne Ørum, who owns a store selling goods from Britain and South Africa, says the ban will mean a serious economic loss.

"Marmite was our most popular product," Ørum said.

Ørum said that the order, which came by telephone from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, was not entirely unexpected as they had previously been ordered to stop selling Australian Vegemite.

"What is at issue here is that people in Denmark are not allowed to eat what they want to eat, even if it is perfectly legal to do so under EU law," she said.

Other products outlawed include Horlicks, Ovaltine and Farley's Rusks.

The ban follows recent comments from the Danish immigration minister, Søren Pind, that foreigners should "assimilate" or leave, that, coupled with the country's recent unilateral decision to reinstate border checks, have left some residents questioning the motivation behind the crackdown.

- Stuff

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