Vegemite Is Finally An Australian Brand Again After $350 Million Deal

Vegemite will again be owned by an Australian company after, surprisingly, being owned by American company Mondolez for years.The salty, yeast-based spread  was sold to Australia's Bega Cheese in a deal worth approximately $345.3 million USD (or $460 million Australian dollars).

The news has been greeted by Australians with approval, who had lamented in recent years that their most iconic brands had been sold off to other companies, like Beck's beer, which was sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2008.

Australians consume 22 million jars of vegemite a year, according to The New York Times.

But with the sale comes a political controversy. Vegemite is halal (meaning it can be consumed by religious Muslims) and has been criticized for its label. Bega Cheese has no plans to remove either the halal designation or the kosher one.