S’pore supermarkets looking for alternative stocks of Marmite amid disappearance

Marmite — a dark, sticky, and savoury British food condiment made from yeast extract — has gone notably missing from supermarket shelves in Singapore.

This comes as its distributor, Unilever Asia, has reportedly decided to discontinue the brand in Singapore.

In response to CNA’s queries, Unilever International said on Jul. 28: "Following ongoing supply challenges, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Marmite brand in Singapore."

They did not elaborate on what the supply challenges were, CNA noted.

Supermarkets in Singapore

When Mothership visited Cold Storage at Nex shopping mall on Jul. 23, the Marmite shelf was empty.

In response to Mothership's queries, Cold Storage said it is currently not carrying Marmite in its stores, but is working with suppliers to bring in alternative stocks.

The timeline on this is still being finalised, it told CNA.

FairPrice similarly told Mothership that it is diversifying its sources to bring in "alternative overseas stocks" of Marmite for its customers.

Meanwhile, a Sheng Siong spokesperson told Mothership that both Marmite and Bovril are currently unavailable at their stores.

Marmite has been available in Singapore since the British colonial era, and is used in popular zi char dishes such as Marmite chicken and Marmite pork ribs.