Vegemite being used to make homemade alcohol, warns Australian government

People are buying up to 20 tubs of Vegemite at a time to brew their own bootleg liquor

The vegetable and spice paste is hugely popular in Australia ( (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images))

The Australian government has warned that people in rural communities are using Vegemite to make homemade alcohol.

The dark brown food paste is traditionally spread on toast like Marmite and contains vegetables and spices.

However, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a government minister has warned that people are brewing their own alcohol from it due to a yeast extract which it contains.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion told the paper that the problem has become ‘prolific’ in Northern Territories with reports of people buying up to 20 jars of the food paste at the time with brewing purposes in mind.

He urged local businesses and communities to be vigilant and to report any suspicious Vegemite purchases which looked like they could be related to homemade alcohol brewing.

Vegemite began as a war-time substitute for Marmite and continues to be a popular food stuff for Australians. It is estimated that eight out of ten Australians have a jar of the paste somewhere in their home.