Unilever-owned brand Hellmann’s has rebranded its vegan mayonnaise as “plant-based” and is currently distributing it to stores nationwide. The initiative aims to cater more inclusively to flexitarians, comprising 13% of the UK population as per a 2021 survey.
The company renamed its vegan mayo as plant-based to appeal to flexitarians reducing animal-based products without going fully vegan.
According to a Hellmann’s spokesperson, consumer research prompted the rebranding due to perceived barriers associated with the term ‘vegan’. A 2023 study by the University of South California indicated that consumers preferred meat-free options labeled as plant-based.
The study involved 7341 participants who chose between food baskets labeled as vegan and non-vegan. Only 20 percent chose vegan baskets while 27 percent prefered baskets labelled as plant-based.
The Good Food Institute study found that terms such as “100 percent plant-based” and “plant-based” resonate more with consumers than “vegan.”
Hellmann’s revamped the plant-based mayonnaise recipe and packaging to tackle food waste, health considerations, and labeling issues simultaneously. The new recipe includes 52 percent rapeseed oil, a decrease from the previous 72 percent content.
Moreover, despite containing sunflower oil and xanthan gum, it remains vegan-friendly without animal ingredients.
The new squeezable bottles now feature an edible plant-based coating. It will minimize product wastage by preventing the mayonnaise from sticking to the sides.
“We know consumers want to be able to squeeze out as much product as possible – it’s an important cost and value benefit,” said Krassimir Velikov, a senior science and programme leader at Unilever. “Some of the ingredients used in the plant-based mayo presented us with specific challenges, as they made the vegan mayo more prone to getting stuck in the bottle. Correcting this issue involved creating an edible, vegan coating that would prevent this sticking problem by making the inside of the bottle more slippery,” he added.
It is not the first time that the Hellman’s rebranded its product. The brand also changed the name of non-dairy ice cream to Magnum Chill Blueberry Cookie to achieve its annual goals. The world’s biggest mayonnaise brand Hellmann’s is aims to reach €1.5B ($1.6B) in annual sales from plant-based products in categories that would have traditionally used animal-derived ingredients by next year. So, it decided to target targeting flexitarians with its plant based mayo.
