The American Egg Board campaign against a food competitor

A strange food industry dispute started making more sense after the American Egg Board's internal emails became public. The target was Hampton Creek, a company selling an egg free mayonnaise alternative called Just Mayo, which had begun competing in a market traditionally dominated by conventional egg products.

The released correspondence described efforts by the Egg Board to push back against the company, including attempts to influence where the product could be sold and whether it should be allowed to use the name Just Mayo. What made the situation more unusual was that the organization involved was overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of its promotional activities.

Once the emails came out, the dispute became more than a disagreement between two food companies. It raised questions about how industry backed promotional organizations could use their influence against emerging competitors, particularly when the competitor's product challenged the market they were created to promote.