Is it Weet-Bix or Weetabix?
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Most Aussies, no doubt, know the popular breakfast cereal as Weet-Bix.
But we recall in our (much) younger days, some people referred to the cereal as Weetabix.
This, we suspect, is the result of English influence. You see, Weet-Bix is sold in Australia, but Weetabix is sold in England.
These two products are owned by two different companies, which seem to have a bit of a rivalry. Weet-Bix is made by Sanitarium, which for years had its headquarters at Cooranbong in Lake Macquarie. It recently shifted operations to Berkeley Vale on the Central Coast.
The history of Sanitarium shows that this year marks the 90th anniversary of the company’s ownership of the Weet-Bix brand. Hopefully, they find a bit of time to celebrate. Alcoholic beverages probably won’t be part of celebrations, given the Seventh-day Adventist Church owns the company. Perhaps a round or two of Up&Go will be imbibed.
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Sanitarium itself says its Up&Go drinks have “the right type of energy to make the most of every moment that comes your way”. That settles it, then.
Anyhow, let’s get back to the aforementioned rivalry. Recent news reports informed us that Sanitarium in New Zealand took a store called A Little Bit of Britain to court.
It should be noted that Sanitarium New Zealand and Sanitarium Australia are separate companies, but they do apparently work together.
A Little Bit of Britain, which sells Weetabix, was accused of breaching trademark rules. Sanitarium argued shoppers could confuse the British cereal with Weet-Bix.
It was reported that the presiding judge found customers wouldn’t be confused because Weetabix was being sold only at a speciality store selling British products.
However, the judge did rule that A Little Bit of Britain had breached the Trade Marks Act by not covering up the label on the boxes. This meant 100 or so Weetabix boxes had to be destroyed.
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Some folks became a tad grumpy at this, starting the hashtag #freetheweetabix.
A Little Bit of Britain wasn’t too worried. It plans to import more Weetabix and put stickers over the logo.
There were suggestions that it might rename the cereal “Confuse a Brit”.
Lisa Wilson, co-owner of A Little Bit of Britain, told The Guardian that the look, taste and packaging of Weet-Bix and Weetabix were completely different and could not be easily confused.
We have to agree. We recall eating Weetabix in England and it is quite different.
Legal stoushes aside, everyone knows the most important question about Weet-Bix and Weetabix is this: are they healthy breakfast cereals? The answer to that has to be a resounding yes. Unless, that is, you naughtily add spoonfuls of sugar.
Who Ate All The Pies
On the subject of food, Greg Nelmes wrote to us after last week’s Herald story about the closure of Darby’s Pies.
Before it became Darby’s Pies, it was known as Dransfield’s Pies, Greg said.
“Bill and Beryl Dransfield lived at 46 Watkins Street, Merewether, a few doors down from us. They opened Dransfield’s Pies at 249 Darby Street, Cooks Hill. The business was an immediate success.”
Greg was chuffed that he made “square and oval pies”.
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“Bill made the most wonderful pies with the best of ingredients. They were prepared and cooked by a genius,” he said.
He added that he “dusted the pies with a secret herb powder to enhance the flavour”.
“People came from everywhere and he was always sold out at 1pm on Saturday in the 1960s and beyond,” he said.
“He sold his business to Stone’s Butchery at Carrington and they began trading there and elsewhere as Darby’s Pies.”
Superfoods to Superherbs
Staying with the world of food and drink, we read a media release that claimed “celebrities and influencers are upgrading their coffee experience by adding healing herbs known as adaptogens to their brew”.
So what the heck are adaptogens? Apparently, they’re “superherbs” that “calm the stress response” and provide “healthy, balanced energy”. Of course they are.
Wonder how long before Newcastle’s trendy cafe culture catches on.