# Victorian lifer loses legal challenge to prison Vegemite ban

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/australian-murderer-loses-bid-to-eat-vegemite-in-prison/
- Published: 2026-10-26T04:05:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-26T05:47:15+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC World (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvwy7wz9x12go?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Software, Technology, World

## Key points

- A Victorian court upheld the prison Vegemite ban.
- The restriction has been in place since 2006.
- Authorities cite risks to drug detection and prison security.

## Summary

Andre McKechnie, a convicted murderer serving life in Victoria, has lost a court bid to overturn the state’s ban on prisoners eating Vegemite. He argued the restriction denied him the right to enjoy Australian culture, but a Supreme Court judge said his cultural rights were limited by his imprisonment and rejected his claim.

The ban has been in place since 2006. Prison authorities say Vegemite can mask contraband from sniffer dogs or be used to brew alcohol; McKechnie also argued it breached rules requiring prisons to provide food that supports inmates’ health and wellbeing, which the judge said he had not proved. The spread is also banned in prisons in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, and was first sold in Australia in 1923.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.