Akta-Vite

Akta-Vite was a brand of chocolate flavouring for milk or plant milk. As it does not itself contain milk products, it is lactose-free and suitable for people who are lactose intolerant or avoiding dairy products for other reasons. It was created in 1943 by George Nicholas in Chadstone, a suburb of Melbourne, and initially marketed as a nutritional supplement available only in pharmacies. It is owned and manufactured by the Nicholas family through Nicholas Health and Nutrition Pty Ltd. Akta-vite is no longer in production^[1]

History

Alfred Nicholas and his brother George Nicholas became wealthy by producing Australian-made aspirin sold as Aspro after Bayer lost their Australian patent during the First World War. This wealth enabled them to diversify into nutritional supplements, including Akta-Vite.^[2] Many nutrients were not readily available in synthetic form in the 1940s, with natural ingredients including vitamin A from shark livers.^[1] Akta-Vite was exported to Southeast Asia in the 1950s, and became a well-known brand in Thailand,^[3] being sold in an orange tin can.^[2]

The brand was sold to the Sara Lee Corporation in 1984, and bought back by the Nicholas family in 2016.^[1]