When you mess with an iconic Aussie product, people are bound to have feelings – and Vegemite’s latest launch is proving even more divisive than its hot-cross-bun collab of a few years ago.

“No no no no no!!!!!”, raged one social media user, while the feedback from other upset fans ranged from “More like a tourist Vegemite” and “Vegemite for squibs”, to “Does the new product come with bubble wrap packaging?”.

So what is the brand’s “crime”?

Introducing a new Vegemite Kids spread which has 50 per cent less salt than the original Vegemite.

Described by owner Bega Group as “the biggest innovation to launch since Vegemite Squeezy in 2020”, the kids’ spread has a lighter colour and milder flavour that seeks to appeal to young tastebuds, while also offering a healthier option.

“Vegemite Kids is how we make the next generation mitey,” said Tegan Froud, senior brand manager at Bega Group.

“It’s also about meeting kids right at the start of that journey and giving them something that’s unmistakably Vegemite, just a little milder in flavour, comprising 50 per cent less salt, no artificial colours and retaining a smooth texture, making it easy for children to spread.”

Bega, which bought the Vegemite brand from US food giant Mondelez International in 2017, emphasised that Vegemite Kids has all the same B vitamins and “signature umami flavour” as its traditional Vegemite spread – which, by the way, hasn’t changed.

Acknowledging that Vegemite is not always embraced by those who didn’t grow up with it, Froud suggested the milder taste “might even win over some international celebrities”.

But it hasn’t won over all Australians.

Reporting on the new product launch on Seven’s Sunrise this week, host Edwina Bartholomew branded the launch “outrageous” and “un-Australian”, dubbing the kids’ spread “Wokemite”. The show’s text line was reportedly flooded with feedback over the change.

“How are we supposed to raise resilient kids if they’re raised on weak Vegemite?” asked one viewer.

Others spread their opinions across Vegemite’s own Facebook and Instagram pages.

“So the Vegemite we were brought up on is too strong for the new woke parents to allow their kids to experience & grow up on?,” wrote Deb. “Boo hoo… Give me strength… oh actually I already have it because I was brought up on regular Vegemite!”

“Are you for real? Why change the wheel,” agreed Kate. “Every aussie household has it in there [sic] cupboard and have done for years and no one ever complained about the salt factor. If you don’t like it then don’t eat it.”

And, from those who don’t think even regular Vegemite is strong enough:

“My kid just opined; ‘mid-strength, how about extra strength? I want Vegemite that requires a bespoke tool to spread it with’.”

“Can we also have an extreme Vegemite for adults? Like add caffeine or something?”

Given the brand’s more than 100-year history – it celebrated its centenary in 2023 – and the fact that most adult Australians grew up spreading Vegemite on their toast, sandwiches or crackers, it’s not surprising people feel a certain ownership over the recipe.

Last year, the original “Happy Little Vegemites” advert, introduced in 1954 and re-released again in 2010 and 2023, even took out top spot in a national survey of Australia’s most iconic childhood commercials.

There have been a few other product innovations in recent times, including the introduction of a salt-reduced version (with 40 per cent less salt than the regular spread), as well as a Vegemite & Cheese spread (made with Bega cream cheese) and a gluten-free spread. Most recently, the brand also brought Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout on board as an ambassador.

And while some voices are complaining the new Vegemite Kids isn’t “mitey” enough, others thinks it’s a positive move.

“’Weak vegemite’…. Because eating a heap of salt makes people… um…. Tough?”, wrote one Facebook user in response to the criticisms.

“Just because generations have had it, that doesnt make it healthy. Children shouldn’t have alot of salt, if theyre having Vegemite it makes sense they have a reduced salt version,” said another.

Interestingly, Vegemite’s previous owner tried introducing a version of the spread in 2011 that was aimed at small children and called My First Vegemite, but it only lasted around a year. Although that recipe also had half the salt, some health experts still thought it was too much.

”Unfortunately, cutting the sodium content of Vegemite by 50 per cent doesn’t cut it when it comes to feeding it to children, and parents should avoid feeding it to their kids,” Jacqui Webster, of the George Institute for Global Health, told the Sydney Morning Herald at the time.

Writing in The Conversation on Tuesday, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing Lauren Bell noted that Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show many Australian children consume substantially more sodium than recommended.

“If a child eats a 5g serve of Vegemite each day, switching to Vegemite Kids would reduce their sodium intake by about 83mg a day,” Bell wrote, adding that the kid-friendly spread was “part of a broader trend in reducing sodium in familiar foods to support health and wellbeing”.

Vegemite senior brand manager Tegan Froud told nine.com.au this week that the new Vegemite Kids was developed in response to customer feedback, which suggested some people found the original spread “a little bit too bold”, while others wanted a healthier option.

Froud also confirmed that the original Vegemite recipe would stay the same: “I personally wouldn’t want to be changing the original Vegemite recipe… we know that that’s so well-loved around here.”