A consumer backlash against the renaming of Vegemite, a spread synonymous with Australia, has led brand-owner Kraft Foods to change the product’s name for a second time.
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Kraft faced the wrath of Australians after it conducted a poll of consumers to find a new name for a “smooth, velvety” addition to the Vegemite line.
The US food giant claimed the poll threw up the name of iSnack2.0 to be given to the new Vegemite – a moniker instantly slammed by thousands of Australian consumers.
After a second survey, Kraft announced yesterday (7 October) that the new product would now be called Vegemite Cheesybite.
“We have been overwhelmed by the response of the Australian public; it has been an insightful debate,” Simon Talbot, Kraft Foods Australia/New Zealand head of corporate affairs, said. “Australians have now selected a popular name for a successful product.”
Original Vegemite, first created in the 1920s, will keep its name, Kraft said.
