Published 2/2/2016

Compassion commends Unilever move to offer a plant-based mayo alternative

Unilever, maker of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, has just announced the addition of an eggless spread to its product line. Compassion in World Farming commends Unilever’s ongoing commitment to animal welfare through offering a plant-based mayo alternative and continuing research to replace inhumane farming practices. 

Consumers are increasingly seeking plant-based options. In response, Unilever will offer a “Carefully Crafted Dressing and Sandwich Spread” that avoids the ethical complications of mayo which traditionally contains eggs.

Each year in the US hundreds of millions of male chicks, considered a ‘waste product’ to the industry as they cannot lay eggs, are killed soon after hatching. They are killed either by carbon dioxide gas or maceration in an apparatus that operates in a similar manner to a food blender; the chicks are crushed by rapidly rotating blades.

In September 2014, Unilever pledged funding for technologies that would solve this problem by determining the sex of chicks before they hatch. 

“We continue to encourage Unilever’s progress on the egg dilemma. Today, they are offering an alternative – a product that doesn’t involve hens at all - for those who aren’t willing to wait for technology to catch up. It’s a smart approach, keeping Unilever ahead of consumers’ growing concerns for animal welfare,” Compassion USA’s director Leah Garces explains.

Hellmann’s “Carefully Crafted Dressing and Sandwich Spread” will hit shelves nationwide on February 15, 2016.  A USDA Certified Organic mayonnaise will also be released, and will contain 100% cage-free eggs.

Garces continues, “Today’s announcement is a clear indicator that the market is heading towards increased plant-based options as well as higher animal welfare standards. The two go hand in hand for industry leaders like Unilever.” 

Compassion in World Farming is working in the EU to enact legislation to prohibit the routine killing of day old male chicks. They have also asked the European Commission to contribute funding, to be matched by industry, to research ways to avoid hatching male chicks in the first place through the in-ovo sexing of chicks. 

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Media Contact:
Nina Farley, nina.farley@ciwf.org, 443-812-2081