Illustration by Greg Montenegro
How do you define mayonnaise? This may seem like a strange question, but if you were to research it right now, you’d be met with a barrage of recent posts about Just Mayo, a vegan – therefore eggless – mayonnaise that is causing a considerable amount of controversy.
Josh Tetrick is the founder and CEO of Hampton Creek, a food-startup company based out of San Francisco that promotes economically sustainable vegan food products. Just Mayo, his eggless mayo, has stirred up controversy; according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, anything labeled as mayonnaise must contain egg. In a recent interview with Fortune Magazine, Tetrick stated that Hampton Creek and the FDA would meet to find common ground on the issue. Prior to coming under fire from the FDA, Unilever, owner of the Hellmann’s brand of mayonnaise, filed a lawsuit against Hampton Creek citing unfair competition and false advertising. The lawsuit was eventually dropped and Unilever released a statement commending Hampton Creek for its commitment to sustainability.
This commitment to sustainability and healthy food production has earned Hampton Creek a spot on Entrepreneur Magazine’s “100 Most Brilliant Companies” list. It is backed by Bill Gates, the wealthiest man in the world, and Li Ka-shing, the wealthiest man in Asia. Tetrick conceptualized Hampton Creek after spending more than seven years in sub-Saharan Africa, which inspired him to create a company that would make a large-scale difference in the world. He started with the egg industry for several reasons, citing environmental protection and animal welfare. On top of this, Hampton Creek’s method for creating its eggless product is 48% more cost-effective than traditional eggs.
Hampton Creek has enjoyed a considerable increase in popularity over its short three years in existence. Whole Foods, Walmart and Target carry the brand. Taking it one step further, 7-11 solely carries Just Mayo in its stores. Made of plant-based proteins, specifically derived from Canadian yellow pea, Just Mayo comes in original, garlic, chipotle and sriracha flavors. Its price is comparable to regular mayonnaise brands, and it is nutritionally superior. Regular mayo has 10mg of cholestoral and fewer than 2 grams of saturated fat, whereas Just Mayo contains no cholestoral and no saturated fat. It is also non-genetically modified, gluten-free, kosher, and free of artificial flavors and colors. In a taste test conducted by the food blog, Serious Eats, Just Mayo was the favorite among several other vegan mayonnaises as well as traditional mayonnaise.
You may be wondering why mayonnaise, vegan or not, matters enough to be covered in a college newspaper. Given Connecticut College’s commitment to sustainability, as well as a growing awareness of veganism both on campus and globally, it could be efficacious to switch to Just Mayo in our dining halls. It could happen: Harvard and Wesleyan have already made the switch to the eggless product. Maybe Conn will be next.
If you’re interested in working to bring Just Mayo and other Hampton Creek products to our campus, please contact Selena Sobanski ’16, president of Connecticut College Animal Rights and Equality Society (Conn C.A.R.E.S), at ssobank@conncoll.edu. •
