Pass the mayo and hold the eggs! Apparently there’s a big market out there for eggless mayonnaise for people who enjoy the taste but don’t want the main cholesterol-packed ingredient of the condiment.
One company that has capitalized on this trend is Hampton Creek, maker of the eggless spread Just Mayo.
But food giant Unilever - parent company of the leading regular mayo brand Hellmann’s – is suing the health food startup for alleged false advertising and fraud on the grounds that the Hampton Creek product tastes like the real thing and has Mayo in the name.
Just Mayo is growing rapidly and has already gained shelf space in major retailers including Whole Foods, Target, and Walmart. Hampton Creek uses yellow peas in place of eggs and uses as its logo an egg with a pea shoot sprouting inside it.
Unilever - a $60 billion dollar global firm - wants Hampton Creek to pay them three times it’s profit in damages, plus legal fees of the plaintiff. It’s also seeking a court order to require Hampton Creek to change the logo, demanding a recall of all products and the removal of ads that claim Just Mayo is superior to Hellman’s or Best Foods.
Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick said his company believes the Unilever lawsuit is without merit.
“I do not believe that the company is in violation of what’s called ‘the standard of identity’ for mayonnaise, the lawsuit is an opportunity to make a larger point,” Tetrick said. “This is a conversation around how the system of food needs to be rethought. You’ve got to make it easier for innovators to innovate and for people to eat in a way that’s ultimately better.”
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