We must love it! Marmite most-seized item at London City Airport

A study has revealed that us Brits can't live without our favourite breakfast spread, Marmite, when travelling abroad – with London City Airport unveiling that it is one of the most intercepted items by security officials.

The airport reveals that the yeasty spread was crowned the number one prohibited branded food item confiscated from travellers' hand luggage – and in the top 10 overall for food items.

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It seems that for holidaymakers, the thought of having to say goodbye to a Marmite-smeared life and venture into breakfast options unknown while on holiday is just too much to bear.

To ensure Brits never have to go without the brown sticky stuff, Marmite and London City Airport have come together, taking over the security gate at the East London location to offer passengers the chance to swap their prohibited jars for a travel-friendly sized 70g miniature.

The hand-luggage friendly Marmite meets the approval of security officers at airports, who will take away any container with more than 100ml of liquid inside.

With the school holidays now in full swing, the swap service will be available at the airport for one day only today (31 July) from 6am until late in the evening – with airport officials expecting it to be the busiest day of the year yet.

Pending the success of the event, Marmite are considering rolling the initiative out nationwide for lovers.

The research also found that around one in eight people (13 per cent) in the UK have had to surrender an item in their hand luggage because it didn't meet aviation or immigration rules.

For the confiscated jars, London City Airport donate the items to a local charity called Community Food Enterprises (www.c-f-e.org.uk), who distribute to smaller charities in local communities.

Melanie Burnley, Director of Customer Experience at London City Airport, said: "With 4.5 million passengers travelling through our doors each year, we see all kinds of weird and wonderful restricted items, including Marmite.

"The Marmite swap is a temporary but popular addition which means that whether you love it or hate it, you'll still be able to get your Marmite fix when travelling from London City Airport. For any other liquid or gel items above 100ml, it's best to pack them safely in the hold luggage."