Eat Just, Inc. Gets Nod From European Food Nutrition Experts

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Eat Just, Inc., a company that applies science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods, announced this week that the key ingredient in its plant-based JUST Egg products has received approval from the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) expert panel on nutrition. This nod opens the path for the initial launch of JUST Egg to occur in Europe in mid-2022 after the European Commission concludes its review.

Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution! Andrew Noyes, head of global communications at Eat Just, Inc., says it took a  team of world-class scientists, researchers, and Michelin starred chefs more than 5 years to find the ideal plant protein, develop the product, and introduce it to retailers and food service channels in the US. And now it’s onto Europe. “The market opportunity in Europe is massive,” says Noyes, “and so is the potential environmental impact when consumers have a compelling plant-based option in a large and growing category like eggs.”

What is JUST Egg, Anyway?

If you’re not familiar with JUST Egg, it’s a plant-based food that resembles eggs that are scrambled. JUST Egg is packed with clean, sustainable protein and cooks and tastes just like eggs. It’s cholesterol-free, egg-free, dairy-free, kosher, and non-GMO, and its ingredients require less water and emit fewer carbon emissions than conventional eggs.

The patented discovery process that led to JUST Egg includes:

• sourcing plants from more than 50 countries around the world
• milling those plants into a powder
• removing the protein and separating it into 72 fractions
• looking at the molecular and functional characteristics
• testing the discoveries’ performance in real-world food applications

The liquid food is yellow in color and uses mung beans as a protein source. It’s easily poured into a frying pan and cooked quickly into a soft food resembling scrambled chicken eggs. It tastes similar to a chicken egg scramble with slightly milder flavors. “Not only is JUST Egg packed with clean, sustainable protein and has no cholesterol, its ingredients use 98% less water and 86% less land and emit 93% fewer CO2 emissions,” Noyes explains. “By choosing JUST Egg when it’s available, European consumers can be confident that they’re not only making the right choice for their bodies and their families but the right choice for our planet.”

By participating in the European Union’s novel food process and passing the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods, and Food Allergens safety assessment, Eat Just’s mung bean protein has become the first novel legume protein to be deemed safe under the authority that has governed all new food ingredients entering the European markets since May 1997. The scientific opinion by the EFSA panel was published in the EFSA Journal.

Global Expansion Reflects Consumers’ Desire for More Plant-Based Choices

“Bringing JUST Egg to Europe, and to millions of consumers who are choosing a healthier, more sustainable approach to eating, will be one of the most important milestones for our company,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just. “I appreciate the hard work of our team and, most importantly, the thoughtfulness and rigor of the EFSA panel that led to this historic safety approval.”

Eat Just successfully collaborated with analyze & realize GmbH, a leading regulatory consulting agency specialized in natural health products, on the novel food dossier compilation and EFSA submission. The company assists with the compilation of dossiers for market compliance in Europe and the performance of clinical studies according to local and international requirements; it also actively engages with the UK’s Food Standards Agency on regulatory paths to market.

The announcement continues the momentum for JUST Egg’s global expansion. Recent launches in South Africa and South Korea have added to the brand’s growing international presence, which also includes Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China.

Studies have shown European consumers are increasingly hungry for plant-based products, and the egg category is one of the biggest areas of opportunity. Nielsen data shows European retail sales of plant-based foods reached €3.6 billion in 2020 – 28% higher than 2019 and 49% higher than 2018. A 2020 report by ProVeg International said stand-alone egg alternatives like JUST Egg represent a major market opportunity due to versatility, breadth of function, and frequency of consumption.

Government programs such as the European Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy, first published in May, 2020, have also advocated for a healthier and more environmentally sustainable food system. Industry groups like the European Alliance for Plant-Based Foods have called upon the Commission, the European Parliament, and member states in the Council of the EU to enable the plant-based food sector to grow and contribute to tackling climate change, public health, and other issues.

Mung Bean Protein Gets the Go-Ahead

In March, 2020, Eat Just, Inc. submitted a request to the European Commission in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EU) No 2015/22831 to place on the EU market mung bean protein. Following this request, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods, and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on mung bean protein as a novel food (NF).

Here are the specs:

• The NF is proposed to be used as a food ingredient added to ‘protein products, excluding products covered in category 1.8.’
• The target population is the general population.
• The maximum estimated intake of the NF is 758 and 260 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day in children and adults, respectively.
• The major constituents of this NF are protein (~85%), fat (3–4%) and moisture (3–5.5%).

Here are the findings:

• The NF is rich in protein which is well digestible and provides sufficient amounts of most essential amino acids but only limited amounts of sulfur containing amino acids.
• The Panel notes that the cumulative exposure to the minerals analyzed does not raise concern.
• The reported values for the levels of anti-nutritional factors in the NF are comparable to those in other foodstuffs.
• The Panel considers that taking into account the composition of the NF and the proposed conditions of use, consumption of the NF is not nutritionally disadvantageous.
• (Of note) This NF has the potential capacity to sensitize individuals and to induce allergic reactions in individuals allergic to soybean, peanuts, lupin, and to birch pollen.

After conducting due diligence, the Panel considers that the NF, i.e. mung bean protein, is safe at the proposed conditions of use.

“It’s clear European consumers are hungry for plant-based products, and the egg vertical is poised for rapid growth,” Noyes offers. “A product like JUST Egg, which cooks, looks, and tastes like its conventional counterpart, simply hasn’t existed on European grocers’ shelves or on restaurant menus, and we’re thrilled to fill that void in 2022 and beyond.”

Final Thoughts About Eat Just

If you’re vacillating about whether you should make the move to plant-based eggs, the company puts it right out there.

“We separated the egg from the bird to end the unsustainable mass production of one of the world’s most common foods. Because the industrialized egg system sucks for our bodies, for the earth, and — let’s be honest — it’s not a party for the birds, either.

But eating really good eggs in all their irresistible ooey, gooey forms doesn’t suck. It’s one of life’s great pleasures. So is making a better world. Good thing we can do both at the same time.”

Wondering where you might be able to find JUST Egg? You can find the products in stores, online, and restaurants.

Image provided by Eat Just, Inc.