hellman's Sues Vegan Just Mayo

[mucifer]

The food giant Unilever thinks not. And it is suing Hampton Creek, a start-up company making an eggless spread that tastes like mayonnaise, accusing it of false advertising and fraud.

Hampton Creek, whose investors include Bill Gates, the Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing and prominent venture capitalists, replaces eggs with yellow peas in its spread, which is called Just Mayo.

In its lawsuit, Unilever contends that Just Mayo is denting sales of its popular mayonnaise products, known as Hellmann’s in the East and Best Foods west of the Rockies.

Andrew Zimmern, a television chef who is a fan of Just Mayo, started a petition online at Change.org on Sunday, asking Unilever to “stop bullying” small companies. By Monday morning, it had more than 10,000 supporters.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/business/unilever-sues-a-start-up-over-mayonnaise-like-product.html?_r=0

Hampton Creek is an amazing company. They are not just vegan. Their goals are to reduce climate change and animal suffering and to sell their products cheap at wallmart and dollar stores. They have found it is cheaper to use plant based products. They are getting a lot of press and have even beat hellman's in some taste tests.

Here's an interesting youtube where he discusses environmentalism and animal rights and the company:

[Renew Deal]

1. This is the part of the lawsuit that Hampton Creek should be worried about:

"And Unilever said that Just Mayo failed to meet the Food and Drug Administration’s definition of mayonnaise as an emulsion of vegetable oil, an acid like vinegar or lemon juice and an ingredient containing egg yolks. Thus, Miracle Whip, made by Kraft Foods, calls itself a spread or salad dressing."

Is it OK to call something a name if it is not that name?

The stuff at the end about sustainability is irrelevant.

I hope Hampton Creek really has those taste test results.

[Daemonaquila]

2. It's not mayo, so label it appropriately. Problem solved.

Miracle Whip doesn't get to call itself mayo either. So what? If it doesn't meet the technical definition of mayonnaise, they shouldn't it be calling it that.

I also have a hard time getting behind a company that's angling to become the next supplier to Walmart, Dollar Store, and other anti-sustainable corporate criminals.

[enlightenment]

3. This spread is not mayonnaise.

It shouldn't be called mayonnaise and it shouldn't have a picture of an egg on the label, since there are no eggs in the product. It's actually no different than putting a putting a picture of a turkey with a soybean pod superimposed on a tofurky - and calling the product "Just Turkey".

If Hampton Creek is so proud of their non-egg products, why do they put an egg on the label? Why use the term 'mayonnaise' - which has a specific meaning?

The product may be good, but it's not mayonnaise. Call it the new "not mayonnaise". Hype up the no egg, sustainable (for the moment - whether legumes will continue to be sustainable hasn't passed the intensive agriculture test yet) nature of the product and stop trying to pass it off as something it isn't.

They need to stop whinging that the little company is being bullied by the big, mean mega-corp. Yes, mega-corps bully - but this time they're right.

[mucifer]

4. Because their goal is to stop suffering of animals

Why does cruelty have to be involved if the taste is the same or better?

BTW less than 20% of traditional mayo is eggs 100% of turkey is turkey.

[enlightenment]

5. What on earth does that have to do with anything I wrote?

Do try staying with the point, which has diddly to do with either cruelty or taste.

[mucifer]

6. You are posting in an animal rights group thread.

[enlightenment]

7. This is also the vegetarian and vegan group.

So, please stay on track. The bottom line is that you can't come up with a response to what people are saying - which is, in case you missed it, that Hampton Creek shouldn't be calling there product mayonnaise when it isn't mayonnaise.

That has nothing to do with animal rights - it's more about false advertising.

I'm glad Hampton Creek is making an effort to save the planet and all the critters on it, one egg at a time. Really. That doesn't change the fact that they have over-stepped and are probably going to have their sustainable cotton-clad arses handed to them in court.

And that's the point.

[Luminous Animal]

11. They don't use the term "mayonnaise" they use the term "mayo".

The word "mayonnaise" is nowhere on the label or advertising.

The FDA does not regulate the term "mayo" it only regulates the term "mayonnaise"

[enlightenment]

12. So does Kraft.

Let's see how that one washes out in court.

[Luminous Animal]

13. And? Best Foods is not Kraft and the word "mayo" is not trademarked.

[enlightenment]

15. Point being that

common usage plays a role in this.

Mayonnaise has been called "mayo" for a very long time. When people see or hear it, they do not automatically assume that it is anything but mayonnaise.

This drive to insist that words can mean anything - regardless of their meaning - is fascinating and in some cases a positive thing. In this case, insisting that "mayo" doesn't mean mayonnaise is just silly. Combining it with a label that requires explanation? (no - we don't mean the egg. Just the pea sprout. Get it? The sprout is, like, growing inside the egg - so it's not an egg, it's a sprout being created from the egg. No - not created - we don't use eggs . . . like being born from the egg, only not really. It's taking over the egg. Because we don't use eggs.)

Well, that takes the silliness to absurdity.

In my opinion, "because we say so" isn't a defense. We'll see how it washes out in court.

[longship]

8. They should have called it "Not Mayo"

No eggs. Not Mayo!

Actually not a bad advertisement promotion.

I am not a vegetarian, however I have nothing against vegetarians or vegans. But I can see how this product is being marketed deceptively. They should have known better.

Anyway, what vegan would buy a sandwich spread with an egg on the packaging, especially called "Just Mayo".

This deception, if true, should be punished in court.

[roody]

28. The producthas a label with a bunch

of words on it. The consumer can read them if they care.

[LeftyMom]

9. This is rediculous.

First of all, Just Mayo is awesome. I like it even better than the glorious grapeseed oil vegenaise.

Second, if Hellmans is losing sales they'd have an awfully hard time saying that they're losing them to Just Mayo and not to changing diets generally or generic brands or other spreads. I don't think they're going to have much luck proving damages.

Third, it's definitely turned into bad PR for them and good PR for smaller and less known Hampton Creek. I have no idea who advises Unilever but they are getting terrible advice.

Fourth, there's probably some federal standard that says you can't call a product mayonnaise (but I doubt they regulate "mayo" and I bet Hampton Creek checked) unless it contains x, y and z. That's why none of the soy milks in the store say "milk" on them anywhere. Mostly these are really old standards from the progressive era that have less to do with deliberate alternative products than food adulterated with undisclosed cheaper ingredients. Probably some updates should happen. But those are federal/state rules and they should enforce them, not competitors.

[Kalidurga]

10. I will be looking for this when I go shopping next time.

I would call it unMayo. Although I don't see how the government can say that they can't call it Mayo, it's a different word even if it means the same thing. So they would actually have to rewrite the law to say you can't call it mayonnaise or any variation of the word mayonnaise or any foreign word that means mayonnaise. I would change the logo to a pea inside of a heart or something like that. I don't think the egg belongs on the label not because it's misleading people to buy it because they might think there is egg in it, but because it might mislead people to not buy it because they think their is egg in it. If anything the way Just Mayo is it's hurting their sales not Hellman's. If Hellman's is losing sales it's most likely because people like other mayonnaise better.

[LiberalElite]

14. Denting their sales?

That's capitalism. Unilever can't take it????

[LeftyMom]

16. Exactly what I was saying about the bad PR:

http://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com/2014/11/13/unilevers-bullying-backfires-boosts-hampton-creek/

[flvegan]

17. Section 169.140 Mayonnaise

Draw your attention to:

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

Nowhere does Just Mayo call itself "mayonnaise" so kinda end of story. Boo hoo, Unilever. But hey, thanks for the free Just Mayo press! Most folks probably would have never heard of it, nor ever heard that Bill Gates was partially behind it, or that it won taste tests. Well done, you idiots.

The usual brand of DU outrage notwithstanding (though hilarious) I think I'd be more concerned about "chicken nuggets" that only need to be 35% actual meat (but "Just Mayo" is misleading), or that it's okay to sell corn meal with rat shit in it.

Up next: ketchup v catsup, battle to the death.

[mucifer]

18. Earth Balance has a product they call Mayo

Unilever didn't sue them. They are suing for tons of money for damages not just to change the label. They are trying to destroy Hampton Creek. They are afraid of the research Hampton Creek is doing to veganize foods in a healthy cost effective way to the walmart crowd.

[flvegan]

19. So does Kraft.

I pity Unilever. This won't end well for them.

[hugo_from_TN]

20. I have a jar of the Earth Balance in the fridge - it has eggs in it.

[mucifer]

21. I thought all their stuff was vegan

[hugo_from_TN]

22. I'm sorry - I have Smart Balance in the fridge!

mea culpa

[LeftyMom]

23. Different brand, same company, so you weren't far wrong. nt

[Systematic Chaos]

29. Thanks for reminding me of the hilarious shit fit I threw as a rugrat...

...perhaps three years old but a gifted reader, when I saw the "Catsup" bottle on the kitchen table at dinner time. I started bawling uncontrollably at the thought of putting purified cat on my home fries!



"NO MOMMY I AM NOT EATING NO!! CAT!! SOUP!!!!!"



The helpless look on mommy's face when no amount of reassurance could get me to believe "Catsup = Ketchup and no, dammit, there is no cat," was by far the best part, looking back.

But as for this new mayo replacement, it sounds lovely -- except that I'm sure it's oil-based and therefore still extremely high in fat. That makes it completely unacceptable on the McDougall way of eating.

[TuxedoKat]

24. I would call this Mayo... Not

Sounds good, I'd like to try this.

[flvegan]

25. Found and bought in Publix. Welcome to Florida!

Thank you, Hampton Creek. Thank you, Publix.

[CBGLuthier]

26. Words have meaning. Just as you can not call sherbet ice cream

you should not be able to call a product without eggs mayo.

I am equally offended at calling a product with no alcohol, beer or no dairy fat, cheese.

[Goblinmonger]

31. You do realize it's a play on "just"

It is the definition meaning "morally right and fair" and not the one meaning "exactly."

It's (Morally Right) Just Mayo

And "Mayo" is not a protected word. They aren't calling it mayonnaise.

[flvegan]

32. LOL!

Intentional or otherwise, that response was funny.

[roody]

27. This product is delicious.

It is not labelled mayonnaise. It is called mayo.

[MisterP]

30. maybe they'll start suing Minorcan cities?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C3%B3n