Marmite discontinued in Singapore due to 'supply challenges', says distributor

Marmite discontinued in Singapore due to 'supply challenges', says distributor Cold Storage is "working with suppliers to bring in alternative stocks" while FairPrice is diversifying its sources to bring in "alternative overseas stocks of Marmite" for customers. SINGAPORE: Spread the news - Marmite in Singapore is no more. The divisive yeast extract spread will no longer be available on supermarket shelves after its distributor decided to discontinue the brand in the country. "We understand several consumers are disappointed with the current unavailability of Marmite across local supermarkets," Unilever International said on Tuesday (Jul 28) in response to queries from CNA. "Following ongoing supply challenges, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Marmite brand in Singapore." Unilever, which did not elaborate on the nature of the supply challenges, said it recognises the brand's long heritage and association it has enjoyed with consumers over the years. "We thank all Marmite fans for their continued support and enthusiasm." POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES? Queries to several supermarkets in Singapore showed that the century-old spread was no longer available. Cold Storage said it was not carrying Marmite and that the product was discontinued about four months ago. It added that it has not received any queries or feedback so far regarding the matter, and that it was "working with suppliers to bring in alternative stocks". The timeline on the availability of the "alternative stocks" is still being finalised and an update will be provided once this is confirmed, said Cold Storage without elaborating on which products were being brought in as potential alternatives. In response to CNA's queries, FairPrice said it was diversifying its sources to bring in "alternative overseas stocks of Marmite" for customers. Sheng Siong, meanwhile, said that Marmite and Bovril - a beef-based extract - are currently unavailable at its stores. What is Marmite? The dark, thick spread is made from concentrated yeast extract, which is a by-product of brewing beer, according to the Marmite company. It was invented in 1902 when the Marmite Food Company opened a small factory in the English town of Burton-on-Trent. Yeast was found to be a great source of the five important B vitamins and as a result, the extract was included in soldiers' ration packs during World War 1, Unilever said on its website. It also featured as a dietary supplement in prisoner-of-war camps in World War II was even provided to British peacekeeping forces in Kosovo to boost morale in 1999. Today, Marmite is more commonly used as a savoury spread for breakfast and used to add depth of flavour to other dishes. MARKED-UP PRICES Checks by CNA on Wednesday morning on e-commerce platforms Lazada and Shopee showed a few listings of Marmite for sale at marked-up prices. A pack of two 250g Marmite bottles was available for sale for almost S$48 (US$37) on Lazada. In comparison, a 250g bottle of Marmite on RedMart - which was out of stock on Wednesday - was reflected as S$10.90. On FairPrice's website, 100g and 200g bottles - also sold out - were shown to cost S$4.84 and S$7.08 respectively. The iconic black and yellow glass bottle also emerged on Carousell, with CNA seeing at least two such listings as of Wednesday morning. Both were priced higher than regular retail price with one at S$20 for a 250g bottle and S$50 for a bottle of unspecified size. In November 2025, Unilever was reportedly considering selling historic British brands including Marmite and Bovril, sources told Reuters. This was said to be part of a potential move by the consumer goods giant to exit some food businesses to focus on beauty and wellbeing. Such a sale could be Unilever's most significant disposal since Fernando Fernandez became its CEO in February last year, with a mandate to speed up its turnaround strategy. Consumer conglomerates have been struggling with squeezed profit margins and sliding sales volumes for several years due to supply-chain crunches and high inflation. [Image text:] MARMITE MARM NS AFP