Brexit means a bad breakfast
Pop into a British pub, and there are two subjects that are almost certain to draw an argument: Brexit and Marmite.
They polarize public opinion as nothing else does. You either love it or you hate it. And as of now, the two have become inextricably linked.
Brexit, of course, is Britain’s decision in June to leave the European Union. Marmite is that sticky, impossibly salty breakfast spread that only a Brit — in citizenship or in spirit — can love.
But because of Brexit, British supermarkets on Oct. 13 were running low on Marmite. The development prompted mild states of panic from devotees of the yeast extract, along with a reconsideration of whether leaving the European Union is such a good idea after all. Marmite haters who love Europe, meanwhile, finally found something about Brexit they can support.
The shortage — what future historians will undoubtedly dub the Great British Marmite Crisis of 2016 — kicked off due to a dispute over price between Tesco, the ubiquitous midmarket British supermarket chain, and Unilever, the supplier of Marmite, as well as a long line of less-divisive grocery-store items, including Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and PG Tips tea.
At the heart of the standoff was the nasty fall that the British pound has taken since the country opted in a June vote to leave the EU. The currency has been particularly battered in recent days amid concern among traders that Britain is careening toward a "hard Brexit," one that will take it out of Europe’s single market and end in high tariffs between Britain and the continent.
Before the Brexit vote, the pound was worth nearly $1.49 (U.S.). As of Thursday, it was down to less than $1.22 — the sort of precipitous fall that is usually reserved for emerging market currencies. The decline has made the pound the world’s worst-performing major currency this year.
That has been a boon to British manufacturers and has attracted bargain-hunting tourists to British shores. But it has also made foreign travel significantly more expensive for Brits and is expected to yield sharply higher prices on imported consumer goods.
Tesco apparently balked at Unilever’s attempt to raise its prices even on goods, such as Marmite, that are made in Britain. The impasse, according to a statement from the supermarket chain, had caused “availability issues on a number of Unilever products.”
“Nooooo. You are kidding me?” said Johnny Birch, a 47-year-old decorator, when informed of the shortage.
Birch, who voted for Brexit, said he likes Marmite in the morning spread on toast and dipped into a boiled egg — a peculiarly British delicacy known as “soldiers.”
“It gets you up and gets you energy,” he said as he stood outside a Tesco in southwest London. “Our mornings won’t be the same again. I want to stock up. It’s a disgrace.”
Tesco said in its statement “we hope to have this issue resolved soon,” reassuring words that were echoed by Unilever finance chief Graeme Pitkethly.
But on Twitter, the Marmite wars were already underway, with #Marmitegate trending worldwide.