‘Veggie eggs’ are coming to your breakfast table

Egg whites are universally accepted as a healthy source of protein. But because they come from chickens, one could worry about animal welfare, the environmental damage wrought by industrial poultry and even Salmonella — since the Food and Drug Administration estimates that 79,000 Americans are sickened by tainted eggs every year.
Or maybe you’re just a vegetarian. Regardless, the way to solve all of these problems is to just make “eggs” from plants.
The market for such egg alternatives is officially blowing up. But toppling real eggs isn’t going to be easy. Egg whites (the real kind) have long been the protein people refuse to do without because it’s seen as irreplaceable. Egg whites are the most efficient and allergen-light source of protein when compared with rivals such as whey, soy and pea. Moreover, food manufacturers rely on eggs because they add natural protein that’s flavourless and highly soluble.
The dominant player in the non-egg space is Just Inc., a $1 billion enterprise. It launched its own liquid egg substitute late last year, one made primarily from protein derived from mung beans. The company said it has sold the plant-based equivalent of 6.3 million chicken eggs in the US to date — but there’s still a long way to go.
CEO Josh Tetrick said the company has signed partnership agreements with major chicken egg suppliers that will manufacture and distribute Just Egg. The companies, he said, will build factory lines separate from where they process real eggs. Tetrick said he plans to expand into Europe later this year and eventually Asia.
Unsurprisingly, finding a popular consumer alternative to real eggs is what many in this sector consider true north. But for now, said Michele Simon, executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, food service is the key to enacting real change.
“There are ways to quietly replace eggs in the food supply,” said Simon, whose group has grown from 22 company members to 140 since its founding three years ago. “Most people don’t care as long as their cake is bouncy. You can change up an ingredient and it will be mostly invisible to consumers.”
But shifting consumer habits takes time. Egg Beaters, the leading liquid egg brand on the market, said the entire industry is about to pivot. “The world has changed. Eggs have been viewed as a villain — not good, with lots of cholesterol. That’s how Egg Beaters was created,” said Bob Nolan, senior vice president of demand science at Conagra Brands, its parent company. “But then, in the last 10 years, it’s no longer a villain but celebrated.”
There is one more obstacle ahead for egg substitutes. Many of the product’s natural constituents aren’t big fans of processed food. By definition, fake eggs are processed food. “Consumers want new and healthy foods,” said Peter Rahal, co-founder of protein bar maker Rxbar.
“A lot of times, the ingredient deck might not look healthy or clean. There’s a tension between food science and consumers wanting healthy, heirloom and local.”