The chicken-free alternative, made from mung beans, is touted to be more sustainable than traditional eggs.
It’s official: JUST Egg will be available in Europe. JUST Egg, a California-based brand, is well-known in the United States for its ability to imitate the flavor and texture of genuine chicken eggs.
Instead, mung beans are used to provide egg-like consistency. Scrambled, folded, and even sous vide plant egg bits are available. There’s no need for chicken in this dish because it’s entirely comprised of vegetables.
However, until recently, Eat Just’s development goals in Europe have been hampered by the usage of mung beans.
Obtaining European approval
While Eat Just’s egg-like products have already been available in North America for a while (even on fast-food chain menus—Tim Hortons began testing the JUST Egg on its breakfast menu in 2020), the business has been seeking to get approval from the European Commission for more than two years.
This is because mung beans are a relatively new cuisine in Europe. The European Food Safety Authority has to approve them as safe.
Eat Just may now debut its plant-based eggs throughout Europe, thanks to the Commission’s clearance. Plans are already in the works, with Germany and the Netherlands ranked first and second, respectively, as the company’s primary target areas.
Why should you go with Just Egg?
While Eat Just’s egg-like products have been available in North America for some time (even on fast-food chain menus—Tim Hortons began testing the JUST Egg on its breakfast menu in 2020), the company has been trying to get approval from the European Commission for more than two years. The JUST Egg is seen as a more ethical alternative to chicken eggs. Every year, roughly 300 million hens are utilized in egg production, according to the National Humane Education Society. The creatures are frequently confined in cramped confines, unable to move about or show natural behaviors. Male chicks, who are unable to produce eggs, are also slain right away in the business.
Plant-based eggs are also less harmful to the environment. Every year, 1.4 trillion chicken eggs are eaten, according to Eat Just. This necessitates the usage of more than 90 million acres of farmland as well as more than 50 billion gallons of water. (To put it in perspective, a typical swimming pool holds roughly 20,000 gallons.) Mung beans, on the other hand, demand significantly fewer resources. As a consequence, JUST Egg uses just 2% of the water and 14 percent of the land needed to raise egg-laying birds.
Eat Just intends to launch its product throughout Europe before the end of the year. It has already piqued the interest of several “retail and foodservice partners throughout the continent,” according to Andrew Noyes, Eat Just’s head of global communications and public relations.
Eat Just is yet to be approved in the United Kingdom. It is in the process of obtaining approval from the country’s regulatory organizations to debut there as well.
