as prizes. Sales responded and in 1939 Vegemite was officially endorsed by the British Medical Association as a rich source of B vitamins. Rationed in Australia during World War II, Vegemite was included in Australian Army rations and by the late 1940s was used in nine out of ten Australian homes. Recent years In April 1984, a jar of Vegemite became the first product in Australia to be electronically scanned at a checkout. Vegemite is produced in Australia at their Port Melbourne manufacturing facility, which produces more than 22 million jars annually. Virtually unchanged from Callister's original recipe, Vegemite now far outsells Marmite and other similar spreads in Australia. The billionth jar of Vegemite was produced in October 2008. Vegemite was also produced in New Zealand for over 50 years, but as of August 2006 New Zealand production had ceased. (The New Zealand–specific version of Marmite remains successful there.) Acquisition by Bega Cheese The Vegemite brand was owned by Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Inc. until 2012) until January 2017, when it was acquired by the Australian Bega Cheese group in a US$460,000,000 agreement for full Australian ownership after Bega would buy most of Mondelez International's Australia and New Zealand grocery and cheese business. Consumption A common way of eating Vegemite is on toasted bread with a layer of butter or margarine. Only a small amount of Vegemite is required due to its strong flavour. A Vegemite sandwich consists of two slices of buttered bread and Vegemite, but other ingredients such as cheese, lettuce, avocado or tomato may be added. Vegemite can be used as a filling for pastries, such as the cheesymite scroll, or it may be used in more exotic dishes. The official Vegemite website contains several recipes using Vegemite in foods such as pasta, burgers, pizzas, casseroles, and even ice cream. It has also suggested using Vegemite as an additive to soups or two-minute noodles. Kosher and halal certification Limited quantities of kosher Vegemite were first produced in the 1980s; a 2004 decision to cease certification was reversed after a backlash from Jewish consumers. Around 2009, Kraft contracted with the Kashrut Authority in New South Wales for their kashrut supervision services, and by 2010, all jars and tubes of ordinary Vegemite were labelled with the authority's stamp. In 2010, Vegemite also received halal certification. Vegan certification While the makers of Vegemite have long claimed that Vegemite was