Eat JUST Has Sold The Plant-Based Equivalent Of 50 Million Eggs

Eat JUST, the food tech behind the famous plant-based egg known simply as JUST, has just announced that as of August this year, it has sold the equivalent of more than 50 million eggs. The brand’s vegan eggs are made from mung beans, and comes with a far smaller environmental footprint than conventional animal protein sources. 

The San Francisco, California-based food tech has recently announced that it has sold the equivalent of more than 50 million eggs, but all made with 100% plant-based ingredients since the company first came into being in late 2011. Its vegan egg alternative is made using mung beans and contains no cholesterol while leaving a far lighter footprint on the planet.

In addition to its award-winning liquid plant-based egg product and vegan mayonnaise, the brand added pre-cooked frozen folded vegan eggs to its line-up, which hit U.S. grocery chains Safeway and Whole Foods earlier this year. It has recently been made available in Hong Kong at Green Common stores citywide.  

JUST entered the Asian market with its liquid egg back in 2018, and is currently available in a number of geographies including Hong Kong, Singapore and mainland China.

According to the company, its plant-based JUST Egg requires 98% less water, has a 93% smaller carbon footprint and uses 86% less land than conventional animal sources. Selling the plant-based equivalent of 50 million eggs has translated to saving an estimated 7.5 million kilograms of carbon dioxide, 1.9 billion gallons of water and 3,000 acres of land. 

In its latest sustainability report, the brand has reaffirmed its commitment to making sustainable proteins and said that it strives to source mung beans, oils and all other ingredients that account for 1% or more of their product formulations only from sources that are in current agricultural production. 

This will reduce the demand for unsustainable farming, which is currently driving deliberate land clearing and destruction of high conservation value habitats, leading to mass biodiversity loss and more greenhouse gas emissions. 

We are sensing that there is no natural world where the human animal is separate from all animals. There is only this small, interconnected world where every breath of air and bite of food is made up of molecules that have been associated with another living thing.” 

Josh Tetrick, CEO & Co-Founder of JUST

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists have repeatedly warned that the continued loss of nature and biodiversity poses an increased threat of more frequent and deadlier pandemics to come. 

“We are sensing that there is no natural world where the human animal is separate from all animals,” said Josh Tetrick, CEO and co-founder of JUST. “There is only this small, interconnected world where every breath of air and bite of food is made up of molecules that have been associated with another living thing.” 

Looking ahead, apart from plant-based eggs, the company wants to add cultivated meat to its offerings – meat made from real animal cells. It has set its sights on creating cultured Wagyu beef using cells from Toriyama cows, which will then be sold by Awano Food Group, a premier supplier of meat and seafood. 

Currently, raising livestock for meat accounts for around 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions and uses around 70% of agricultural land. Like plant-based alternatives, cultivated proteins represent one of the core core food technologies that will help bring about a more sustainable, ethical and safe food system. 

Lead image courtesy of Eat JUST.