Australian court rejects prisoner's bid to eat Vegemite

Crime · Victoria, Australia · First reported 26 Oct, 04:05 · Updated 14:22

A Victorian Supreme Court judge rejected Andre McKechnie's appeal against the prison ban on Vegemite, finding he had not shown that it breached requirements to provide adequate food. Authorities cited security concerns about the spread.

Andre McKechnie, who is serving a life sentence, argued that the ban on Vegemite denied him the ability to practise his Australian culture.
The ban has been in place since 2006. Victoria's authorities said Vegemite could disguise contraband, and evidence presented to the court said its smell could distract drug-detection dogs.
The judge found McKechnie had not established that the ban violated the requirement to provide food adequate for prisoners' health and wellbeing.
McKechnie received a life sentence for stabbing property developer Otto Kuhne to death in Queensland in 1994; he was later transferred to Victoria.
The spread is also banned in prisons in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.