Marmite banned in Denmark, but full of B vitamins. it's still allowed here!
Following a scare in Denmark some years back of a product with added vitamins being consumed in excess so that the intake levels went over the recommendations for children or pregnant mums, Denmark introduced its own rules to stop foods with any added vitamins being used at all. These included all breakfast cereals with added vitamins such as we have here in the UK and also foods such as Marmite.
Marmite has a range of added B vitamins - thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and B12, all of which have important roles in energy production and metabolism. in a 4g teaspoon, the levels of these vitamins are below the RDA's (the levels that we recommend you have in total in a day from all foods) and well below the toxicity levels that may cause harm.
Pregnant women do need to take care not to take high doses of supplements, with particular attention to vitamin A as it is known to have potential to harm the unborn baby. However Marmite does not contain vitamin A and since the other B vitamins are at levels below the RDAs we have as yet no reason to suggest avoiding Marmite in children or pregnant women. Rather it may be a useful addition to add to their total intake of these vitamins.
Here's the story as I explained it on the BBC Breakfast show, 25th May 2011.