BrandWikiReturn

Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company

The Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company is the trade name of two sister food companies (Australian Health and Nutrition Association Ltd[1] and New Zealand Health Association Ltd).[2] Both are wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Founded in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1898,[3] Sanitarium has factories in Australia and New Zealand, producing a large range of breakfast cereals and vegetarian products. All the food products it manufactures and markets are plant derived or vegetarian. Its flagship product is Weet-Bix sold in Australia and New Zealand.

History

During his time in Australia in the 1890s, William C. White convinced Seventh-day Adventist Edward Halsey, a baker at John Harvey Kellogg's Battle Creek Sanitarium, to emigrate to Australia.[4][5]

Halsey arrived in Sydney, New South Wales, on 8 November 1897.[6] He rented a small bakery in Melbourne, and produced granola (made of wheat, oats, maize, and rye) and Granose (the unsweetened forerunner to Weet-Bix). Halsey and his team sold it from door to door as an alternative to the fat-laden and nutrient-poor foods popular at the time.

The business relocated to larger premises in Cooranbong, New South Wales, next to the campus of the seminary which became Avondale University College.[7][6]

In 1900, Halsey transferred to New Zealand, where he began making the first batches of Granola, New Zealand's first breakfast cereal, Caramel Cereals (a coffee substitute), and wholemeal bread in a small wooden shed[8] in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui.[9][10]

Sanitarium New Zealand and Sanitarium Australia are now separate companies, but work together.[9]

Sanitarium has factories in several locations, including Berkeley Vale in New South Wales; Carmel in Perth, Western Australia; Brisbane, Queensland; and Auckland, New Zealand. Weet-Bix was originally manufactured, from 1928, at 659 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt, where until recent times Sanitarium signage could still be seen. This factory predates the purchase of Weet-Bix by Sanitarium in 1930. Another factory was constructed for Sanitarium in Warburton, Victoria in 1925 to manufacture Granose. This factory was damaged by floods in 1934 and a new factory constructed and operational by 1938, producing Granose and later Weet-Bix until 1997. This factory was unusual because it had an on-site hydro-electricity plant which also supplied the township of Warburton.[11] A factory was operating in Palmerston North in New Zealand, but closed in the late 1990s. The Hackney factory in Adelaide, South Australia was closed in October 2010, followed by the Cooranbong factory in 2018.[12]

In June 2017, Sanitarium caused controversy when it objected to a specialty shop-owner based in Christchurch, New Zealand, trying to import 300 boxes of Weetabix into the country. New Zealand Customs detained the boxes at the request of Sanitarium on the grounds the British-made Weetabix competed with and confused the branding of their own New Zealand-made 'Weet-bix'. Sanitarium faced a backlash in New Zealand as a result.[13] After failing to come to a settlement, Sanitarium filed civil action against the shop owner. The case hearing began in the High Court at Christchurch on 30 July 2018.[14] Weetabix is also sold as "Whole Wheat Biscuits" in Australia (as international food).[15]

Tax exemption

Neither the Australia nor the New Zealand Sanitarium companies pay company tax on their profits, due to their ownership by a religious organisation.[16][17] On their official website, Sanitarium defend their tax exemption with several points, stating they operate exclusively for charitable purposes, and that income tax exemptions are available to all companies and individuals in New Zealand who limit themselves to charitable purposes.[18] However, the exemption has been criticised[19][20] and is considered unfair by their competitors.[21]

According to their last annual return as of February 2019, businesses operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church reported more than $10 million profit.[22]

Products

Honey Puffs

Honey Puffs is a wheat breakfast cereal coated with honey made in Australia and New Zealand.

Marmite

Marmite is a food spread made in New Zealand. It is made from yeast extract, by-product of beer brewing.

So Good (soy beverage)

So Good (also known as SoGood or So-Good) is a brand of non-dairy beverages, foods, and desserts that are lactose, cholesterol and gluten-free.[23] So Good is manufactured by Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company in Australia and New Zealand.[24] In Canada, it was prepared by Earth's Own. So Good is sold in India by Life Health Foods.[25][26]

In Australia, So Good produces soy milk, as well as almond milk and almond and coconut milk. They also produce flavoured soy milk and frozen soy desserts.[27]

In India, So Good produces almond milk and almond and coconut milk, in addition to soy milk. They also produce flavoured soy milk, flavoured almond milk, fortified soy milk, and variants of oat milk.[25]

Up & Go

Up & Go is the brand of a range of liquid breakfast products manufactured and marketed by Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company. The brand was the first product that established the category of liquid breakfast in supermarket and convenience stores in Australia and New Zealand. Many other brands have entered the category since the late 1990s, and forced the brand to defend its market share.[28]

In June 2013, Choice magazine released a study of 23 liquid breakfast products questioning the validity of claims that were made by manufacturers including Up & Go claims regarding fibre content.[29] Sanitarium defended Up & Go in a release citing the current code of practice for nutrient claims that a product must contain a minimum of 3 g of dietary fibre per serving to be considered "high in fiber" and Up & Go contained 3.8 g of fibre per 250-ml serving.[30]

Weet-Bix

Weet-Bix is a wheat breakfast cereal made in Australia and New Zealand and in South Africa by Bokomo.

Further reading

External links

References

  1. "Australian Health and Nutrition Association Ltd", Bloomberg^
  2. "...New Zealand Health Association Limited trading as Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company...", sanitarium.co.nz^
  3. Vegetarianism in Australia: A History 2010-06-16, retrieved 2019-11-21^
  4. Peddling Health Adventistreview.org, 6 June 2002^
  5. Edgar Crook. Vegetarianism in Australia, A History Ivu.org^
  6. Moments that made us Sanitarium.com.au^
  7. Sanitarium Health Food Company Adventist.org^
  8. Edward Halsey's Sanitarium Red Shed Ketechristchurch.peoplesnetworknz.info, retrieved 2012-09-13^
  9. History Sanitarium.co.nz^
  10. Spreads and breakfast cereals Teara.govt.nz^
  11. Sanitarium Health Food Factory - Docomomo Australia docomomoaustralia.com.au, 2014-04-29, retrieved 2023-09-06^
  12. Darren Hagen. In Australia, Food Factory Plant Gets Ready for Closure AdventistReview, 7 June 2017, retrieved 23 January 2020^
  13. Elanor Ainge Roy. British Weetabix seized by New Zealand customs in breakfast bowl battle with rival The Guardian, 30 June 2017, retrieved 30 June 2017^
  14. David Clarkson. Weet-bix versus Weetabix stoush hits High Court Stuff, 30 July 2018, retrieved 31 July 2018^
  15. Whole Wheat (Weetabix) Biscuits (UK Breakfast Cereal) - British Sweets & Treats retrieved 2025-03-02^
  16. Charities Services retrieved 2 November 2014^
  17. New Zealand Health Association Limited (1503254) Registered New Zealand Companies Office, retrieved 2 November 2014^
  18. Sanitarium gives its profits for charitable purposes Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company, retrieved 4 May 2013^
  19. Wallace, Max. Render unto Caesar The Australian, 8 August 2008, retrieved 16 August 2011^
  20. Gomez, Frank. Rich men in the tax-free kingdom of God The Punch, 18 April 2011, retrieved 16 August 2011^
  21. Blundell, Sally. The God dividend listener.co.nz, 2 February 2008, retrieved 16 August 2011^
  22. Nita Blake-Persen. Is it time for charity-owned businesses to start paying tax? 2019-02-20, retrieved 2020-08-14^
  23. So Good Nutrition sanitarium.com.au, retrieved 19 July 2015^
  24. Soy Milks sanitarium.com.au, retrieved 19 July 2015^
  25. Life Health Foods - bringing you So Good a delicious range of almond milk Life Health Foods, retrieved 2021-03-05^
  26. So Good and Soy Milky So Good and Soy Milky, retrieved 2021-03-05^
  27. Sanitarium So Good sanitarium.com.au, retrieved 19 July 2015^
  28. Liquid breakfasts: up and going strong retrieved 16 October 2014^
  29. Liquid breakfasts should up and go retrieved 16 October 2014^
  30. 'Up & Go claims are healthy', Sanitarium hits back at Choice Food Magazine, retrieved 16 October 2014^