Mother Jones: Big Mayo Wants You to Know There's Only One Way to Make Mayo, Dammit

[LiberalElite]

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/11/great-mayo-smackdown?google_editors_picks=true

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Last Friday, the Anglo-Dutch mega-conglomerate Unilever, owner of Hellmann's Mayonnaise, filed suit against the vegan upstart Hampton Creek, maker of egg-free Just Mayo, citing "false advertising and unfair competition," and whining claiming that "Just Mayo already is stealing market share from Hellmann's."

Unilever, which long ago swallowed Ben & Jerry's, Breyer's, Lipton, Mrs. Filbert's, Slimfast, Close-Up, Noxzema, Q-Tips, Vaseline, and hundreds of other brands into its multinational maw, argues that "Hampton Creek's materially false and misleading Just Mayo name, packaging, and advertising has caused and unless restrained will continue to cause great and irreparable injury to Unilever." That irreparable injury—for which Unilever requests that Hampton Creek change the name, remove all jars from shelves, and pay Unilever three times damages, plus attorney's fees—comes because Hampton Creek is trying to pass off its eggless goop as mayonnaise, which "damages the entire product category, which has strived for decades for a consistent definition of ‘mayonnaise' that fits with consumer expectations." The FDA, Unilever correctly points out, defines mayonnaise as including an "egg-yolk containing ingredient." Hampton Creek has fired back that, duh, that's why they call their product mayo, not mayonnaise.
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[shenmue]

1. I love mayo on a sammich

Mmmm, tasty. Haven't tried vegan mayo yet.

[LiberalElite]

2. I've tried a couple -

up till now Veganaise was IT for me - ruined me for Nasoya. Now I want to try Just Mayo. Thanks, Unilever!

[Luminous Animal]

4. Just Mayo is delicious. Highly recommended.

[yeoman6987]

3. Only Miracle Whip in this house

[Luminous Animal]

6. Way to sweet for me.

[SamKnause]

8. My extended family

thinks Miracle Whip taste like mayonnaise with sugar added.

None of us like it.

We are a Hellman's family.

I nicknamed Miracle Whip, Sissy Whip.

I do not mean this post to be offensive in any way.

It's nice to have choices.

Have a great evening.

[yeoman6987]

9. I think you are right it is sweeter for sure.

Part of my sweet tooth...

You have a great night as well!

[LiberalElite]

10. I grew up on Miracle Whip nt

[longship]

13. There is no fucking such thing as vegan mayo.

Vegans don't eat eggs, and one cannot make mayo without eggs. Check the recipe some time.

Clear case of fraudulent advertisement.

Fuck Real Mayo. It ain't real, and it ain't Mayo. (Neither is Krapp Miracle Whip -- called that because it ain't Mayonnaise.)

They deserve to lose this case.

I suggest renaming it Vegan Salad Dressing. Or maybe, Genuine Vegan Artificial Mayonnaise-Type Substitute. But that would be marketing it honestly.

If you want real mayo just buy the jar of mayonnaise, or make your own from scratch. (You'll have to crack a few eggs.)

[alarimer]

16. I agree

the very definition of mayonnaise includes the use of eggs.

They could call it Fake Mayo, which is what it is.

I'm still not sure Unilever has a case. I think people know the difference between fake mayo and the real thing.

I don't trust most vegan substitutes for things. Most of them are terrible.

[longship]

17. Reminds me of dairy substitutes, mainly soy.

I am an omnivore, but have a really low tolerance for dairy for the past several years.

I love Cream of Wheat. In my youth my mother always made it with milk, which makes it extra rich and yummy. I made it with soy milk one time a few years ago and it was totally inedible, tasted like grass. Blecch! Now I just make it with water and eat it with a good dollup of Michigan maple syrup. Yummy!

I found Soy ice cream only tolerable in chocolate flavor, which tastes more like Fudgesicles than ice cream.

Thank goodness that occasional hard cheese is still okay with my system. Other than that, no dairy for me.

Regards.

[4139]

5. They should rename it Better than MAYO!

... That would really po unilever

[Renew Deal]

11. lol. That's actually a winning idea.

[unrepentant progress]

7. Hypocrisy, thy name is Hellmann's

Last edited Mon Nov 17, 2014, 11:36 PM - Edit history (1)

Hellmann's Maker Tweaks Site in 'Mayonnaise' Spat

After suing a small California company for calling its product "Just Mayo" because the product is made without eggs, it was discovered that Unilever had tweaked its website to make clear that some of its own products are "mayonnaise dressing," rather than mayonnaise.

Unilever's suit accuses Hampton Creek of false advertising, saying that the word "mayo" implies that the product is mayonnaise, even though it doesn't meet the definition for the product. It says Just Mayo is "stealing market share from Hellmann's.

Michele Simon, a public health lawyer, said she was discussing the case with the founder of Just Mayo this past Friday when they noticed the changes being made on Unilever's websites for Hellmann's and Best Foods.

"They were changing right before our eyes," Simon said.

She said customer reviews were also changed to add the word "dressing" after mayonnaise. The site for Best Foods had also been changed so that "Canola Cholesterol Free Mayonnaise" is now "Canola Cholesterol Free Mayonnaise Dressing."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/hellmanns-maker-tweaks-site-mayonnaise-spat-26968183

[Renew Deal]

12. Funny

[imthevicar]

14. I like Mayonnaise.

When I go to the Restaurant, or Wawa counter, or the local hoagie shop and say, "I want Mayo please!". I expect Mayonnaise. not some goop with Pea extract. Call it something else. It's misleading and deceptive and in one of the few moments i say the following the big corporation is right.

[beerandjesus]

15. Love mayonnaise, but I'm still siding with the little guy here

You'll never see that shit in my refrigerator, it's all Duke's since I moved to the South. But that's actually the point: The notion that this damages the Hellman's brand is completely ridiculous.


On a related note: Has anyone else noticed that mayonnaise seems to be the most polarizing of all condiments? I don't think I've ever met anyone who can take it or leave it, people seem to love it or hate it--in contrast with ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce, etc.