Hellmann's Releases Its Own Vegan 'Mayo' A Year After Suing Rival Eggless Spread

Mere months after the Hampton Creek vegan mayo debacle died down (the FDA decided in December that the vegan company can actually call its product Just Mayo despite the lack of eggs in the ingredients), Hellmann's is cashing in on the eggless-spread trend. In a classic case of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," parent company Unilever has announced the release of a new product: "Carefully- Crafted Egg-Free Dressing and Sandwich Spread" aka vegan mayo.

The condiment giant made headlines in late 2014 after suing Hampton Creek, claiming they were erroneously using the word mayonnaise to describe a vegan product, but later dropped the lawsuit amid severe backlash and let the FDA deal with the legal complications of the sandwich spread.

The new vegan spread, which — despite the FDA's ruling that vegan mayo is A-OK — does not contain the words mayo or mayonnaise on its packaging. The product will appear on shelves nationwide later this month along with another new certified organic mayonnaise from Hellmann's.

According to The Seattle Times, mayonnaise sales have declined from $1.83 billion to $1.80 billion over the past year, so perhaps the new products are the answer to consumers' increasing demands for improved, sustainable foods.