Mayo-Gate: The US government is trying to take down egg-free mayonnaise

[nationalize the fed]

Jane Mountain, Inhabitat.com 09/04/15

A group appointed by the U.S. government tried to destroy a Silicon Valley start-up after concluding that the plant-based food company was “a crisis and major threat to the future” of the $5.5-billion-a-year egg industry in the U.S. A series of emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows the American Egg Board (AEB), a US department official, and egg industry executives working together to bring down Hampton Creek who make vegan mayo, plant-based egg replacer and other egg-free products. Think things have gone too far?



The 600 pages of emails, obtained by MIT FOIA expert Ryan Shapiro, revealed the plans made between the AEB, the USDA and the egg industry to eliminate Hampton Creek, manufacturer of the egg-free Just Mayo. Outgoing head of the AEB advised Unilever on a lawsuit against Hampton Court to have “mayo” removed from their labeling. The USDA’s national supervisor of shell eggs later advised the AEB to reach out to the FDA about Just Mayo’s labeling.

The AEB also used their influence, and hired a private consultant, to persuade Whole Foods to drop Just Mayo from its shelves – Whole Foods still sells the product. To undermine Hampton Creek’s Beyond Eggs product, the AEB’s research arm the Egg Nutrition Center, hired a private consultant, Gilbert Leveille, to test the patent for the product. “Were I in your position I would focus on nutritional quality and on the emerging science, much of which ENC has sponsored,” Leveille concluded...snip
Read More: http://inhabitat.com/plant-based-mayo-strikes-fear-in-the-hearts-of-the-us-egg-lobby/

SIGN THE PETITION TO INVESTIGATE THE USDA EGG BOARD

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Government-backed egg lobby tried to crack food startup, emails show

The Guardian | Sam Thielman & Dominic Rushe | September 2, 2015

USDA official joined American Egg Board in planning to ruin Hampton Creek, Silicon Valley firm that created plant-based egg alternative and Just Mayo


The American Egg Board provided 14,000 eggs for the annual White House Easter egg roll this year. Photograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

A US government-appointed agricultural body tried to crush a Silicon Valley food startup after concluding the company represented a “major threat” and “crisis” for the $5.5bn-a-year egg industry, according to documents obtained by the Guardian.

In potential conflict with rules that govern how it can spend its funds, the American Egg Board (AEB) lobbied for a concerted attack on Hampton Creek, a food company that has created a low-cost plant-based egg replacement and the maker of Just Mayo, a mayonnaise alternative.

In a series of emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (Foia), AEB staff, a US department of agriculture official and egg industry executives attempted to orchestrate the attack.

The documents were obtained by Ryan Shapiro, a Foia expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Shapiro’s Washington DC-based Foia-specialist attorney, Jeffrey Light, and passed to Hampton Creek.

Among the efforts coordinated between the AEB, the USDA and the egg industry:

Outgoing AEB head Joanne Ivy advised Unilever on how to proceed against Hampton Creek after the food giant filed a false advertising lawsuit against its rival last year...snip

Read More: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/02/usda-american-egg-board-hampton-creek-just-mayo

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Just Mayo: Egg group scrambled over eggless mayo maker

By Candice Choi Associated Press 09/02/2015



NEW YORK -- A San Francisco company that makes an eggless mayonnaise alternative has the U.S. egg industry scrambling.

The American Egg Board, which is responsible for the "Incredible, Edible Egg" slogan, waged a campaign to counter the emergence of Hampton Creek's Just Mayo spread, and even tried to prevent its sale at Whole Foods grocery stores, according to documents provided to The Associated Press.

The documents offer a sometimes comic glimpse into the alarm the egg group felt about the startup and its CEO, Josh Tetrick, who has said he wants to make the food system more environmentally friendly by replacing the eggs in an array of foods with plant-based alternatives...snip
more:http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_28747183/just-mayo-egg-group-scrambled-over-eggless-mayo

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Imagine what is going on that DOESN'T leak out...

I bought some of this egg free mayo. It's great. You wouldn't know the difference from regular mayo. It's expensive though, but so are heart operations.

[WinkyDink]

1. I love it when hardcore conspiracy-doubters must confront yet another....conspiracy!

[Marrah_G]

2. That is pretty stupid, especially because of the huge loss of egg laying chickens this year.

Avian flu in domestic poultry is happening more and more, finding cheaper alternatives is a very good idea.

[Juicy_Bellows]

3. Death to mayo in all its forms!

I love eggs, I love oils, I like vinegar - but bring em together and the White Devil shows up!

[awoke_in_2003]

10. The White Devil

is Miracle Whip, and all other mayo wannabes

[CrispyQ]

37. Miracle Whip - retch.

I never tasted real mayo until I went to college. My mom was a Miracle Whip mom & I hated it. Oh my, she used to make this sauce that was was equal parts of Miracle Whip & Cool Whip. She would pour it over fruit. What a terrible thing to do to watermelon.

[awoke_in_2003]

42. Oh my

and I thought I was bad putting ketchup on Mac and cheese

[SheilaT]

53. I don't get Miracle Whip. It tastes like mayo that's already gone bad.

[awoke_in_2003]

54. I was born in 68

so I grew up in the 70s. We were a Miracle Whip house. The first time I had real mayo I knew my youth had been stolen from me

[SheilaT]

55. Lucky me. We never had that stuff when I was growing up

and the first time I came across it I was horrified.

[KamaAina]

11. I consider it, along with mustard, a weapon of mass destruction

which implies that Saddam actually did have WMDs.

[Juicy_Bellows]

36. Oh, I love me some 'tard. Nt.

[Aerows]

46. Oh no, no no

You will not pry the mustard from my yellowish tinted hands on a hot dog.

Hot dogs are merely a delivery vehicle for the loads of mustard that make them taste great.

Heck, I prefer mustard on my fries to ketchup (I'm not really much of a fan of fries, anyway, but there it is).

[MuseRider]

4. Do they think that those of us who don't eat

Mayo with eggs will just give up and eat mayo with eggs? Do they know there is a reason people choose to eat without eggs? It won't help them much if at all.

[KamaAina]

12. They're concerned that those who do eat mayo with eggs might try the stuff

and like it.

[Owl]

5. Yes! Real Mayo contains eggs. Call the faux stuff something else.

[Codeine]

13. Mayonnaise has eggs. "Mayo" has no such limitations. nt

[kcr]

31. Mayo is a common, accepted abbreviation of mayonnaise

That, along with the fact they have an egg on the label means it's possible they'll lose this one. It's highly deceptive.

[KamaAina]

16. Real *mayonnaise* contains eggs.

Not "mayo". In fact, Kraft is labeling its stuff "mayo". Wonder why?

[spanone]

6. '....has the U.S. egg industry scrambling.' bwahahahahahaaaa

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. thought this was a joke until I opened the thread

[demmiblue]

8. I haven't tried this brand, but Veganaise is like crack on bread.

This seems similar to the attacks from the dairy industry on almond/soy/rice milk. All of these animal-based food industries/lobbies have too much power in Washington.

[Codeine]

15. My fiancée is a dedicated eater of eggs

and she still greatly prefers Vegenaise. She says it tastes cleaner.

[MuseRider]

17. I started using Veganaise in food

when my kids were still here. They loved it and so does my husband and some of his cousins asked me if I knew about it, they too love it. Of all those people I am the only vegetarian. I am not crazy about Nayonaise but Veganaise is amazing.

[LiberalElite]

22. This stuff is just as good as Veganaise - yum!

[CrispyQ]

38. I think Vegenaise is better than 'real' mayo. I love the stuff!

Same with Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese - it is better!

[GeorgeGist]

9. Mayo clinic

[longship]

14. It is pretty simple. Mayonnaise is made from eggs.

If you make something without eggs, it is not mayonnaise and it is false and deceptive to call it "Just Mayo".

I recommend, "Genuine Imitation Mayonnaise-Type Substance".

Or maybe just "Salad dressing", "Miracle Whip" is apparently already taken (also not mayonnaise).

This has nothing to do with corporate power, this is about honesty in marketing.

My regards.

[marle35]

18. Their label also has an egg

"Just" Mayo, and an egg on the label. It's deceptive. "Just" call it something else. Words have to mean something.

[OilemFirchen]

20. Egg-Whiz.

"Genuine pasteurized processed imitation egg-spread food substitute. Now with real artificial egg-spread coloring!"

[struggle4progress]

26. +

[abelenkpe]

28. +1

Take the egg off the label if it doesn't contain eggs. Mayo isn't short for mayonnaise? Who knew?

[mitch96]

19. I think they should change the name to

JUST NAYO….
and be done with it…

I llike it, taste good..

m

[LiberalElite]

23. There's another brand named Nayonaise so

maybe that would cause different problem. (Although Nayonaise has a thinner consistency and inferior flavor IMO.)

[betsuni]

21. Thanks, Obama!!11!!!

We are all under the yolk of Big Egg. Thank goodness this diabolical conspiracy hatched by Big Egg and the government has been cracked wide open. The attack on egg-free mayo must not spread. What's next -- will They come for me if I make carbonara sauce without eggs?

[arikara]

24. Have they really nothing better to do?

It reminds me of when Starbucks went after a little coffee shop on Haida Gwai called Haidabucks. They named it that because it was a couple young native men who owned it, and it had nothing to do with starbucks.

[struggle4progress]

25. 21 CFR 169.140 Mayonnaise

(a) Description. Mayonnaise is the emulsified semisolid food prepared from vegetable oil(s), one or both of the acidifying ingredients specified in paragraph (b) of this section, and one or more of the egg yolk-containing ingredients specified in paragraph (c) of this section. One or more of the ingredients specified in paragraph (d) of this section may also be used. The vegetable oil(s) used may contain an optional crystallization inhibitor as specified in paragraph (d)(7) of this section. All the ingredients from which the food is fabricated shall be safe and suitable. Mayonnaise contains not less than 65 percent by weight of vegetable oil. Mayonnaise may be mixed and packed in an atmosphere in which air is replaced in whole or in part by carbon dioxide or nitrogen.

(b) Acidifying ingredients. (1) Any vinegar or any vinegar diluted with water to an acidity, calculated as acetic acid, of not less than 2 1/2 percent by weight, or any such vinegar or diluted vinegar mixed with an optional acidifying ingredient as specified in paragraph (d)(6) of this section. For the purpose of this paragraph, any blend of two or more vinegars is considered to be a vinegar.

(2) Lemon juice and/or lime juice in any appropriate form, which may be diluted with water to an acidity, calculated as citric acid, of not less than 2 1/2 percent by weight.

(c) Egg yolk-containing ingredients. Liquid egg yolks, frozen egg yolks, dried egg yolks, liquid whole eggs, frozen whole eggs, dried whole eggs, or any one or more of the foregoing ingredients listed in this paragraph with liquid egg white or frozen egg white.

(d) Other optional ingredients. The following optional ingredients may also be used:

(1) Salt.

(2) Nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners.

(3) Any spice (except saffron or turmeric) or natural flavoring, provided it does not impart to the mayonnaise a color simulating the color imparted by egg yolk.

(4) Monosodium glutamate.

(5) Sequestrant(s), including but not limited to calcium disodium EDTA (calcium disodium ethylenediamine- tetraacetate) and/or disodium EDTA (disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate), may be used to preserve color and/or flavor.

(6) Citric and/or malic acid in an amount not greater than 25 percent of the weight of the acids of the vinegar or diluted vinegar, calculated as acetic acid.

(7) Crystallization inhibitors, including but not limited to oxystearin, lecithin, or polyglycerol esters of fatty acids.

(e) Nomenclature. The name of the food is "Mayonnaise".

(f) Label declaration. Each of the ingredients used in the food shall be declared on the label as required by the applicable sections of parts 101 and 130 of this chapter.

<42 FR 14481, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 57 FR 34246, Aug. 4, 1992; 58 FR 2886, Jan. 6, 1993>

[Codeine]

27. Good thing they didn't call it mayonnaise then. nt

[struggle4progress]

29. "Mayo" is almost universal slang for "mayonnaise"

[Codeine]

43. So? Legal definitions aren't build around slang. nt

[struggle4progress]

47. The idea behind the FDA is that people should be able to determine easily what they are buying

I can't sell you sawdust and scrap cardboard bound together with diluted white glue, packaged in a way that leads you to believe you're buying bread, for example, even if I put the truth somewhere on the package in small letters

I can't sell you some artificially flavored and colored gelatin product, packaged in a way that leads you to believe you're buying jam

There's some history behind some of these rules

[petronius]

30. I still think that an image of an egg is an odd way to indicate that your

product is egg-free...

Maybe they can rename it "Not just Mayo" instead. It does seem to be a misleading name, as the FDA concluded, but I doubt many people will be fooled: people who want egg-free will seek it out, and people who don't care about egg-free will ask what they're paying extra for.

More troubling is the idea that USDA officials colluded illegally with industry; I want that nipped in the bud pronto, I care a lot less if some fake-o-nnaise manufacturer gets/away with a confusing label for a while...

[Retrograde]

32. Silicon Valley company?

They're based in San Francisco, at least 40 miles north of Silicon Valley. But I guess misleading labeling doesn't just extend to the product.

They sound like the typical new startup that thinks existing regulations don't apply to them, and will try to brazen it out once caught. IMHO, the packaging is deliberately deceiving.

[Warpy]

33. I wish they'd stop using canola oil in it

I can't get near canola oil, it's horrible stuff. There are very few mayos out there that I can eat because of that particular sensitivity and it seems all the vegan varieties (which were good years ago and have probably improved since then) use it. There's nothing magic about eggs and the vegan varieties are usually spiced up a little better with lemon and maybe some mustard and are usually better than the real thing, which tends to be rather bland.

This fight is silly. It's not like they're calling themselves mayonnaise, labeling that has been protected as a dressing made from egg and oil. This is a silly fight and the egg people need to be slapped down hard.

[MADem]

34. I am in the "They Are Wrong" corner for all the reasons previously mentioned.

Mayo means mayonnaise. Always has.

There's an EGG on the package--what's up with that?

The recipe for mayonnaise contains egg--too bad if these guys don't like it.

Call it something else. Sandwich dressing, whatever.

As for heart operations, they've found that eggs aren't bad for you. Just don't go overboard--moderation in everything.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/eggs/

[CBGLuthier]

35. I feel the same way about non alcoholic beer. There is no such thing as non alcoholic beer.

And mayonnaise and everyone knows mayo is just another word for it has eggs in it. Call this stuff salad dressing like they do miracle whip.

[Starry Messenger]

39. You've penetrated the shell of eggzactly what is wrong with this country.

[Gormy Cuss]

40. They blew it when they developed the branding.

It looks like they're on very shaky ground because the product name and label strongly suggest that this is an egg-based product. There are other "not mayos" out there --Vegenaise, Nayonaise to name two.

From all reviews that I've read this is a good product and rebranding it is probably the simplest solution.

[truth2power]

41. So many things wrong with this...

First of all, what about vegans? Aren't they allowed to eat? DUers who think the answer is "no" in 3...2...1.

And, from the article: ".. the $5.5-billion-a-year egg industry in the U.S...". About to become the $10 billion, I would say. I saw eggs at my local supermarket this week for $5.99 a dozen. Yeah, they were high end, cage free or something. But still...

A lot of people are going to have to give up eggs because they can't afford them. I was actually looking for an egg-substitute to put in my fried rice recipe.

I know, bird flu.

[MineralMan]

44. If there are no eggs, it's not mayonnaise.

By definition, mayonnaise contains eggs, oil and lemon juice or another acid ingredient. No eggs and it's just some sort of spread, but not mayo or mayonnaise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayonnaise

[brooklynite]

45. Can you point to the smoking gun where production or sale was banned by the Govt?

The issue boils down to calling it "Mayonnaise"...which it's not. Just as frozen dairy desserts without cream are not "ice cream".

[tammywammy]

48. The label is deceptive.

Mayonnaise/mayo is made with eggs. The label has an egg on it. The label makes me think this is a mayo without a lot of extras added, just eggs, oil and vinegar.

They will lose this because of the label and name. They can come up with a clever name. They should have looked into the regulations before going into production.

[Glassunion]

49. I agree with the egg board on this.

Mayonnaise/Mayo is an egg based product. To label their product "Just Mayo" is misleading to the consumer.

America is full of bullshit labeling of products. Champagne comes from a specific region of France, not California. "Parmesan" cheese comes from a specific region of Italy, should be really expensive, not $1.99 from Kraft Foods. Kobe beef, is a very specific beef from a specific region, with specific practices of raising in Japan, not a Ranch in Texas, who up until quite recently could not be bought or sold in the U.S. Red Snapper... 95% of red snapper in the U.S. Is mislabeled.

Fuck mislabeling, fuck deception. Call your product what it is... Not what you feel like it should be, or what you can deceptively sell to consumers.

[jmowreader]

50. "Sandwich spread" is the correct name for this product

Read The Jungle and you'll see WHY the government has unbending standards for what must go in food. I know Josh Tetrick has the public's best interest in mind, but the people who sell mayo to dollar stores may not.

[guillaumeb]

51. If there is no egg in it, it is not mayonnaise.

Add in some mustard and you get a very tasty remoulade. If you do not wish to use eggs, do not use the word mayonnaise, or a variant.It debases the language.

[roody]

52. I love this product!

It is so unfortunate that it is not GMO-free.