Egg industry launched secret campaign to destroy vegan mayo

[Calliegirl]

A government-supervised group representing the egg industry overstepped its authority by waging a two-year “crisis” campaign to halt the growth of a San Francisco vegan mayonnaise startup, joking about putting “a hit” on its CEO and deleting emails in an apparent attempt to cover its tracks, a federal investigation has found.

The investigation, sparked by documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by an Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher and his Washington attorney, reveals how the American Egg Board and the $7-billion egg industry perceived Just Mayo, an egg-less mayonnaise, to be a threat — and the measures it took to try to crush its manufacturer, now called Hampton Creek...

...Email exchanges among egg board members asked “Can we pool our money and put a hit on him?” and suggested having “old buddies from Brooklyn pay him a visit,” referring to Tetrick...

The egg industry considered vegan Just Mayo a threat — and launched a secret campaign to destroy it

 

[Tom L.]

The funny thing?...

The egg industry had probably lost all (or at least most) of their customers who switched over to "Just Mayo" or "Vegenaise" anyway. Once they fully grasped that using eggs was unacceptable to them, they would have just learned to do without mayonnaise sooner or later, whether or not there was a replacement.

Now I'm more ****** off at the egg industry than I was before. Hellman's has come out with an eggless spread (which they are careful not to call "mayonnaise"). For all I know, it might be quite good- that company does have tons of experience making the stuff, after all- but I doubt I'll even try it now.

 

[silva]

Trader Joes now have a "Sandwich Spread" (think thats what its called) labed vegan.
Someday I'll finish the two big jars of Just mayo and will try it!
No, I am NOT interested in Hellmens

 

[Andy_T]

I remember that this was quite a story maybe 1 or 2 years ago. Wonder why it is coming up again.

 

[robert99]

Wonder why it is coming up again.

(News only came out Thursday last week about the campaign,)
"Federal investigators did not find the campaign amusing, slamming the American Egg Board for overstepping its congressional mandate and chiding its overseers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a lengthy investigation that was quietly released on the agency’s Freedom of Information library page late Thursday.

The American Egg Board, an industry-funded promotion group overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s marketing branch, spent at least $59,500 to counter the product’s publicity advances."

 

[Andy_T]

(News only came out Thursady last week about the campaign,)

I am referring to articles like this from 2015.

 

[robert99]

It was the USDA investigation that was released.
USDA: Egg group inappropriately targeted vegan spread
An egg industry group's discussions about thwarting the sale of an eggless vegan spread were inappropriate, a yearlong investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found.
The USDA said the egg board's inappropriate activities violated its guidelines, but not the law specifying the allowable activities for the board. The egg board noted there were no findings of violations of the law, and that it has no further comment.

 

[Andy_T]

Ah, I understand, that is the result of an investigation launched after the initial articles.
So according to the USDA, all is fine?

 

[Calliegirl]

At least the public was made aware of how deceitful they are. I don't know if it will make much of a difference, but at least they will have that hanging over their heads and it can always be used in future campaigns against them.