An Australian prisoner is challenging a statewide ban on Vegemite, arguing in a lawsuit that denying him access to the beloved yeast-based spread violates his human right to “enjoy his culture as an Australian.”

Andre McKechnie, 54, who is serving a life sentence for murder, has taken his fight for the salty, sticky staple to the Supreme Court of Victoria, according to documents released to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Vegemite is considered a culinary icon by many Australians, with an estimated 80% of households keeping a jar in their pantry. Yet inmates across all 12 prisons in Victoria are prohibited from having it.

McKechnie is suing Victoria’s Department of Justice and Community Safety as well as Corrections Victoria, which oversees the state’s prisons. The case is set to go to trial next year.

The origins of the ban

Victoria’s prisons banned Vegemite in 2006, citing concerns that the spread could “interfere with narcotic detection dogs.” Officials say inmates once smeared drug packages with Vegemite in hopes of masking the scent from detection dogs.

Vegemite also contains yeast, which is barred in Victorian prisons due to its “potential to be used in the production of alcohol,” according to the contraband list.

A decade ago, the spread’s former U.S. owner, Mondelez International, dismissed media reports that remote Indigenous communities were using Vegemite to brew alcohol in bathtubs. The company said its production process kills the yeast, making fermentation impossible.

Claiming cultural rights

McKechnie is seeking a court ruling that the ban violates his rights under Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act, which protects the ability of individuals “to enjoy their culture.”

He is also asking the court to find that prison authorities breached the Corrections Act by failing to provide food “adequate to maintain” his well-being.