After setting the egg industry abuzz with speculation, Just Mayo, a vegan alternative to traditional and egg-based mayonnaise, is finally allowed to retain its name.
Following months of dispute and discussions, Just Mayo creator Hampton Creek Foods Inc. finally reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration that allowed the plant-based spread to retain its name provided that changes are made to its label.
The Mayonnaise Saga began on Aug. 12 when the FDA penned a warning letter to Hampton Creek's Founder and CEO Joshua Tetrick.
Federal standards require that any product labeled as "mayonnaise" must contain at least an egg as one of its ingredients. Since Just Mayo does not contain eggs, it is in clear violation of this standard. Furthermore, its label contains an egg "cracked" by a pea spout, which might give consumers the wrong impression that the product contains actual avian products.
The FDA then warned Hampton Creek that calling the product "mayo" might mislead consumers into thinking that they are consuming traditional mayonnaise. Tetrick took the letter astride and worked with the governing agency to resolve the problem.
To address the issue, Hampton Creek changed Just Mayo's label to clearly state that the product does not contain eggs. It also placed emphasis on the word "Just," which is now taken to mean "guided by reason, justice, and fairness."
The squabble with the FDA is not the only battle the vegan spread had to face. Earlier this year, the company was slapped with a lawsuit by mayo giant Unilever, which produces Hellman's mayonnaise or Best Foods mayonnaise. Unilever dropped the lawsuit within a few weeks of filing it following public backlash.
The small Silicon Valley startup also had to contend with the American Egg Board's president Joanne Ivy, who tried to stop the sale of the vegan spread at Whole Foods. The attempt was revealed by Freedom of Information Act experts Ryan Shapiro and Jeffrey Light after they obtained the emails through a public records request. As the board is overseen by the Department of Agriculture, the attempt to stop Just Mayo's sale raised regulatory issues and the egg board was investigated, leading to Ivy's early retirement.
Despite all these controversies, the eggless mayonnaise continues to be a favorite of many. Today, Hampton Creek has grown exponentially as it now carries other healthy products, other than Just Mayo.
