When a processed food label includes the word ”eggs” in the ingredients list, it typically means dehydrated or powdered eggs as opposed to fresh, real eggs.
Used as early as 1912 in camp cooking and for food rationing in the United Kingdom during WWII, powdered eggs are made by spray drying real eggs in a manner similar to how powdered milk is produced.
Powdered eggs are preferred by food manufacturers over fresh eggs as they have a long shelf life, easier shipping and storage (no need for refrigeration) and significantly lower price.
Powdered eggs are used as is without any rehydration for baking and can be easily reconstituted with water for making scrambled eggs and omelettes by the restaurant industry.
The major health related problem with powdered eggs is that the spray drying process oxidizes the cholesterol in the egg. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to heart disease whereas undamaged, unoxidized cholesterol in fresh eggs does not.
While oxidized cholesterol is certainly a concern, at least powdered eggs are actually made from real eggs!
Now, processed eggs are about to go even further down the rabbit hole by going vegan!
Hampton Creek Foods, a company with interest from the likes of billionaire investor Bill Gates, has developed a powdered egg substitute made entirely of plant matter.
Vegan CEO Josh Tetrick explains that his company’s Beyond Eggs egg-substitute was created by completely deconstructing a real egg, analyzing its 22 special functions, and then reconstructing nature’s perfect food using nothing but plant material.
The unappetizing grey-green powder that resulted is made from sunflower lecithin, canola, peas, and natural gums from tree sap. It must be reconstituted with water to use. Tetrick claims Beyond Eggs tastes just like the real thing, but one has to wonder how a vegan would know this.
Given that the product is not organic, the canola used is most likely genetically modified. Beyond Eggs is nearly 20% cheaper than even battery-produced eggs.
Tetrick envisions Beyond Eggs as a replacement for the real and powdered eggs currently used in processed foods like mayonnaise, ranch dressing, and factory made muffins and cookies. Eggs supplying these sources account for roughly one third of the 79 billion eggs produced in the United States alone every year.
Tetrick insists that the motivation for Beyond Eggs is about economics and not about the morality of eating animal foods.
“I think the reason people like Bill Gates are interested in this is that the world population is expanding to 9 billion, and people are going to need good cheap sources of protein. Some of the economics of meat production, particularly around feed, aren’t good.”
Hampton Creek Foods already has two major Fortune 500 companies as customers. One of these has plans to use Beyond Eggs in a line of products marketed as egg free. The other is staying on the down low for the time being.
Beyond Eggs will be available online in the next one to two weeks. After that, it will likely be available through major retailers.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source: You Can’t Tell That This New, Cheap Egg Substitute is Made from Plants
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{ 131 comments… read them below or add one }
I thought no form of eggs could be worse than powdered eggs, but this canola containing glop could actually be worse.
We seem to be moving toward a world where food is steadily becoming less nutritious, more artificial, and less able to sustain human health. We need the healthy real foods of our ancestors, not phoney frankenfoods.
You have wonder about Gates, who is a great supporter of Monsanto, GMOs, and now this.
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: Even Delicious MyPlate Meal Results in Hunger
It’s all fuel for the “technology will solve everything” malaise that we find rampant in society, allowing people to keep their head in the sand about the accelerating degradation of our food, soil, water, climate and health. The numbers are staggering in all these areas but it seems nobody wants to really address it. We need some good old consciousness raising foment — a rousing global chorus of people, and especially young people who have the most energy and the most to lose if things don’t improve, to rise up against this malaise and this corporate influence like in the 60s.
Gates also is one of the biggest funders of worldwide vaccination, which he champions as the idea way to reduce population.
Gates has his greedy hands in everything these days. He’s particularly interested in issues that affect enormous numbers of people, but his real motives are anything but philanthropic…
Care to share your source?
Just search “Bill Gates vaccination” or something along those lines. You should easily come up with plenty, including a video of his presentation stating that good healthcare and vaccination would help to *reduce* world population growth.
Hey Stanley – We actually don’t even use canola in our product. And I agree w/you – our ancestors consumed a whole lot of natural, plant-based foods. We don’t grow anything in a lab; we don’t use chemicals, either. – Josh
Josh,
The article says you use Canola. What ingredients do you use?
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: Even Delicious MyPlate Meal Results in Hunger
….it goes on and on, ad nauseum. BIll Gates needs to be educated.
Such a shame on him for his complete ignorance. He is a fine example of
too much money and poor taste ! Education is where it’s at.
Lest we forget, Nature (God) is in charge… and nature always wins…
we will pay dearly for our ignorance.
I assume that Bill Gates means well, but his knowledge of human nutrition seems to fall far behind his expertise in software engineering. Steve Jobs, also brilliant in the same way, paid with his life for his poor understanding of the difference between a gorilla’s intestines on a fruit diet and a human’s intestine. I shudder to think of the negative repercussions from Gate’s misguided efforts. Africa has long been the victim of well intentioned efforts gone very, very wrong.
Yuck. Eggs are one of the perfect food sources and they want to create a fake egg? Wow.
Karen in Texas\’s last post: Kidding and Selling
The fake egg has already been created and is coming to the processed food aisle in your local supermarket soon!
But now that we know better than to eat processed food, we at least don’t have this to worry about. I heard the other day, a comment (I forget where), that the boomers will have the longest life span in US history, but after them, the average lifespans will revert because the children who come after them will have been raised on convenience foods, fast foods, and processed foods, and be over vaccinated, denying them of being able to build healthy bodies from infancy onward.
Hey Sarah – We’re not any more processed than the chick pea flour in your local, organic grocery store. I just think that most eggs (well, over 99% of them) aren’t reflective of the values of your readers – or you. I’d be happy to invite you to our HQ to see our process; I’m not sure the same could be said for large egg producers. We can all do better. And free range eggs are a core part of the solution, too.
Hey Karen – We don’t have an issue with the eggs at all. I think the problem is how the system of animal agriculture has negatively impacted the production of the egg – over 1.7 trillion laid per year. It’s kind of absurd when you open the door… Most (not all) egg production is defined by a massive amount of antibiotics, inhumane treatment, massive water consumption, etc. It doesn’t reflect our values. And we can do better. I think sustainable, free-range eggs are an important part of how the world answers this challenge.
Then I have a simple solution, Josh – visit your local farmers market and get fresh REAL eggs straight from the farm – NOT a factory farm. Or, if you are able, keep a couple of chickens in your backyard and there you go! Fresh, happy eggs from happy chickens. Either way, problem solved.
What we DON’T need is any more processed glop masquerading as food.
When are people going to learn that mother nature’s amazing creations, like eggs, are so much more than the deconstructed, dried, powdered and reconstituted sum of their individual parts – or in this case, similar-ish parts?
Nevra @ ChurnYourOwn\’s last post: Two Weeks Without Wheat: Why and How I Did It – Plus Recipes
Gross.
Eggs, the perfect food. Why the heck mess with something so nourishing for the body?! Thanks for the another fabulous article Sarah!
Hey Gluten Free Pantry – Thanks for caring about our food
. You’d probably agree that plants are pretty healthy, too! I think the problem is the system of egg production, not the egg. Anyway, I think you’re work on Gluten Free is important – so thanks for it!
Gluten Free Pantry thanks .. just trying to give folks the heads up.
Great. Another processed, fake food item made using GMOs. Seriously, how much more contaminated can our food supply get before we all start dying off? I personally think that is what the government is trying to find out…
The government knows this stuff is happening. They don’t care… You can’t make a profit off of healthy people. We are government tests subjects on a daily basis…
Brittany and Joyce – I stopped sratching my head and trying to make sense of this along time ago. This goes to explaining it a bit:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Corporatism-or-the-True-Fa-by-Siv-O-Neall-130306-770.html
They can always come with all the various fake ingredients in the supermarkets – i will not be partaking. Makes me sick just to think of how they manipulate and mess around (to put it nicely) with our food.
Yuck
I guess in a way I’m glad they are using fake eggs in artificial crap! Less animal torture. But in another way I wish they would stop screwing with our food. We have enough information out there that it is frustrating people are so ignorant about it. We are getting poisoned at every angle. Food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, water. It is so discouraging
Hmm, yummy…. Not. Glad I am picking up eggs from my farmer later today.
Hey Kate! I think picking up eggs from your local farmer is awesome, too. (I’m the CEO of the company in the article)
Well Josh.. Is it true that the canola oil you are using in the product is Genetically modified?
Hey Ebony – Our ingredient actually does not include canola oil.
“Tetrick’s team has deconstructed the egg, analyzed its 22 special functions, and replicated it with plant-stuffs like sunflower lecithin, canola, peas, and natural gums from tree sap. By all accounts, the substitute tastes just like the real thing–even if it doesn’t look like it. It’s sold as a gray-green powder that you need to hydrate before use.”
Right from the article.
“Tetrick’s team has deconstructed the egg, analyzed its 22 special functions, and replicated it with plant-stuffs like sunflower lecithin, canola, peas, and natural gums from tree sap. By all accounts, the substitute tastes just like the real thing–even if it doesn’t look like it. It’s sold as a gray-green powder that you need to hydrate before use”.
The original article says it contains canola?
Gross.
yuck and yuck.
I say, just stay away from processed foods!
Most kids don’t know where eggs come from so this should not phase their parents either.
this is disgusting~!!!!
As always, great work Sarah. Really enjoy your posts, even depressing ones like this.
I take articles like this as positive .. it will motivate more people away from processed foods as they are getting even more fake by the day than they already are!
Agenda 21evil UN plan to depopulate, check http://www.jbs.org
Help stop it in your city/state.
If they want vegan protein then eat a bean
Word. At least that is a whole food.
I wouldnt use it, but its an option for those that cant tolerate eggs and when chia or flax also isnt an option. Im not a fan of canola, but you can get non-gmo canola, though it easier to find in the EU than here in the US.
I don’t get the whole the-world-is-overpopulated-therefore-we-must-find-a-food-solution mentality, especially when it comes to eggs. Everyone could have a backyard flock, if it wasn’t for city codes, even apartment dwellers, and those with more land could raise more chickens for those in truly confined spaces. Chickens are happy with bugs and grass, kitchen scraps, and only the occasional grains. There are plenty of unused highway medians and the like that could have grazing animals like cows! No one needs to go and create a fake egg out of ingredients that are going to HAVE to grow somewhere, taking up MORE room and resources than a few chickens!
Bill Gates is a murderer. Let us see himself get injected with all the vaccines & fake food. I keep saying “Lord, come quickly” as a Christian because it’s only going to get worse. I fear what the future holds for my healthy children.
:-O YUCK!!!
I liketo eat out ocassionally but this may finally put the kabosh on that… The one place i will still go at this pointis a local family owned pizza shop that sources everythingfrom locally in the vally where I live in E Washington. They even have gluten free crust now for anyone that is interested and they don’t deliver. Motto “Pizza worth driving for”
Local. Sourced local and people comein large groups or as a family to eat there. LOVE
Teri Gelseth\’s last post: Do beans go bad?
I’m in E. WA. What pizza place is this that you speak of??
Yuck!
Buy fresh. Eat fresh.
Yumm….a breakfast of Facon and Beyond Eggs with plenty of high fructose, GMO ketchup. What ever happened to “the incredible, edible egg”?? Remember those commercials?
Arya Razmi Habib
If Bill Gates is involved, then it cannot be good. He is on record stating that vaccines are being used to depopulate the earth, and he is funding it for that purpose. If there are other means to further weaken the human body, you can bet he will back it!
Here is an answer to all this 9 billion population propaganda.
http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change.html
Hi Sarah,
On another note, my husband has recently had some eczema shown up on his forhead, he feels it’s from the raw milk that he has been drinking for the last six months.
What’s your thought on this?
So….. I guess GM Peas are next? This sounds disgusting, but I guess they figure the majority of consumers have no idea what good food tastes like anymore. I can’t even eat store eggs! Only organic, local, and pastured.
Who uses the powdered eggs to begin with?
Iris, a lot of hotels and buffet style restaurants use powdered eggs.
Hey Sarah,
I think you might want to read some other articles about them. Josh says they are an “unapologetically mission-based company.” Their main drive is relieving battery cage hens’ suffering. Being better for the environment and heart healthy are added bonuses.
And what is so bad about a cholesterol-free substitute? I’d rather eat an egg made from plants than some adulterated version of a tortured hen’s menstrual cycle.
Also – most people aren’t born vegan. I’m sure Josh remembers what regular eggs taste like.
PS – Don’t forget about the male chicks – whether battery cage or cage free – all meet with the wood chipper. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuvUVDlDuOY
Hey all – Thanks for caring about all this. I’m the CEO of the company in the article. I think eating sustainable, free-range eggs is so much better than 99% of the eggs we eat. Sadly, most of these eggs come from unsafe (avian flu) and inhumane (female birds packed body to body in small cages) places that don’t always reflect our values. And we only use plant-based sources; nothing chemically created. Here if you have any questions, anytime.
Thanks for caring about making our food system healthier. I’m the CEO of the company in the article. I think eating sustainable, free-range eggs is so much better than 99% of the eggs we eat. Sadly, most of these eggs come from unsafe (avian flu) and inhumane (female birds packed body to body in small cages) places that don’t always reflect our values. And we only use plant-based sources; nothing chemically created. Here if you have any questions, anytime.
Well at least he’s honest.
I have a question. You state that free range eggs are best. Then why are you settling for less? Why are you not eating and promoting free range eggs, and even getting smaller pasture based farms set up?
Exactly – instead of putting MORE processed foods on the market. I don’t care how PC it is, it’s still artificial “food.”
And isn’t it better for animals and the environment to support local farmers, and/or grow your own food, than to support yet MORE factories that make processed foods?
Josh, thanks for taking the time to reply in a considerate manner. I also have concerns about the standards in agri-food business and the humane treatment of food animals such as chickens; but I am even more concerned about GMO’s and their affect on global ecology. Does your product use genetically modified ingredients?
But are these plant-based sources safe for human consumption from a long-term perspective? Not everything that’s taken from plants is good for digestion and health in general. From a consumer standpoint, it just seems like another fabricated food that has any number of long-term consequences. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Hey Anthony – They are. You already consume most of them. And all are already approved by the FDA. You might even grow them in your garden! I really appreciate you taking the time to talk about this; we need more people focusing on how to improve our food system. – Josh
In my opinion FDA stands for Federal Death Administration so them approving anything is not a selling point for me. I do appreciate your diplomatic responses here on a site that promotes the anti vegan diet. I can appreciate a good source of protein for people who thanks to years of eating franken diets are now allergic to foods most humans have eaten for thousands of years. Since I tolerate pastured eggs excellently well I will stick with those. Thank you for caring about the treatment of animals. Most of us traditional food eaters care very much about this too. We know humans can not be truly healthy without the consumption of animals and their by products but we want sustainable and healthy animals that lived and ate the way nature intended. We must all return to being good stewards of this planet; our health depends on it.
Perfectly stated! Unfortunately mass allergies are the new normal and people are forgetting this is not the natural state of affairs.
Hey Josh, I thought your Beyond Egg might be part of the company that creates ‘Beyond Meat’ fake chicken. But apparently not. The thing is, most of the vegan, meat substitutes do use pretty poor ingredients, for example Beyond Meat chicken substitute. (I looked into these during a short period of being vegan or veganish). Who knows what all the highly processed soy and vegetable oils (soy protein isolate or something similar and also canola are quite common in these) will do to people who use these products long term. I’ll be interested to see what the ingredients are in your product; if it’s decent quality, then I see it could be potentially beneficial. Of course, it can’t replace a good pasture-raised egg, but as you say most eggs are not this and there are serious issues with conventional animal agriculture, and maybe your product (if it’s decent quality) can be used beneficially in some applications for some people.
Thanks for stopping by and being kind and open-minded.
Follow-up additional comment:
Concerning these vegan substitutes, I want to say that I think Daiya “cheese” is a pretty good vegan cheese substitute. No, it’s not cheese, but there’s no soy and no GMO ingredients. The only thing is it’s pretty pricey. Around $5.00 for a small bag or container, but I’ve used it and the ingredients are better than some vegan ‘substitute’ items (for example Trader Joe’s Vegan cheese is full of crap ingredients). Just wanted to folllow-up on my comment about these type products, because some are better than others (much better). Hey, not everyone can even eat cheese and some don’t want to (the conventional dairy industry is one of the most cruel of all).
Best wishes…
We probably should rethink food in terms of being a commodity. It’s OK with me if electronics are mass produced, but can I really say the same for food?
Josh I’ll ask the same question here, as I did on the blog. If you feel pasture based is best, then why do you not take advantage of eating those? And why not use your position to start up and promote the real deal?
Very useful article, thank you for this information
Those of you who think Bill Gates is trying to depopulate the earth through his support of vaccinations–please explain. What are your sources? I’ve done a cursory search on the web, and I can’t find anything credible.
google his TED talk on vaccinations where he states with his own mouth how much the world population can be reduced through vaccines. It should be pretty easy to find on youtube.
Hey Steve and Paul – I think free range is much better than 99% of the eggs we eat. And I applaud people who make it a habit of choosing that option. That’s all. I think plants are also very healthy and sustainable, too. And if we can make them less expensive, well, then more people might have healthy food
.
Josh, although you seem well-intentioned I doubt your sincerity. How were you raised? DId you eat wholesome, organically grown foods? Yes, Healthy plants grown in rich nourishing soil are healthy for us…. but not when they are molested in any way.
You need to seek out traditional cultures, explore and nourish the wisdom they have gleaned, living close to the earth. My wish for you is that you will change your M.O.
One claim is, it would help feed the expanding world population. How about changing laws, so people can grow their own food in their front and backyards, including animals. When zoning prohibits the growing of vegetables in so many communities, the food needs to be grown elsewhere and shipped in. This shipped food could go to those who are unable to grow food due to lack of viable farming land, if more of us were permitted to grow our own food in our own yards!
Bill Gates can suck a fat one as far as I’m concerned.
You’re not going to believe this folks. The CEO of the company that makes Beyond Egg egg-substitute emailed me about an hour ago and wants to talk on the phone. Very nice man … I’m happy to chat with him. He says he saw the article because his Mom reads my blog!! LOL
Thanks
. My mom says: “thank you!” I can also answer questions on your FB page, too. Whatever works best! – Josh (I’m the CEO)
Sorry Josh. Plants cannot begin to offer the nutrition of an egg. Even a CAFO egg.
Mary MacDonald here is the link. Bill gates himself stating the exact words of vaccines to depopulate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WQtRI7A064
I don’t see anything wrong with using egg substitutes. If you want nutrition wouldn’t it be better to just eat a pasture raised egg? It keeps animal cruelty down. It sounds like he has nutrition in mind . Most of the stuff that is going to be made with these eggs is out of animal cruelty.
Hey Steve and Paul – We’re actually just focused on cookies and mayo, etc. – not the scrambled egg. Not a whole lot of egg nutrition in cookies
. But, we’re pretty close.
Josh,
Will your product be listed as “eggs”, or as “plant-based powdered egg substitute” on the label? (In mayo, cookies, or on your own retail box). It’s in your American right/freedom to create and be entrepreneurial (which I think makes America terrific) , but I think the public also has a right to be informed by truth-labeling…
Hey Cee – We wouldn’t call ourselves eggs because, well, we’re not. The plants (natural, not chemically engineered plants) will be listed on the back. Thanks for caring about our food system.
Thanks. A follow-up question:
Since you will require lots of plants to create this egg substitute, I imagine you’d want to prevent massive plant losses due to weeds, pests and other disasters. The question then is, will these plants be sprayed with pesticides and other ‘cides’?
Also, if you don’t mind my asking, what kind of degree did you get in college? (Assuming you went to college). Chemistry? Just curious.
Ha! Exactly Josh! I agree 100%
Its Steve and Paula
Matters not. Eggs do add to the over all nutrition in anything they are used in.
It’s just wrong!
But you should think about the fact that the eggs used in a lot of these products are from tortured chickens. I disagree with too much nutrition being in eggs like that.
Thanks to Josh for being so considerate and replying to everyone’s concerns. This was refreshing to see. I’m sure there is a place for your product. I wish you the best!
Hey Kinzie – That means a lot to me; thanks for saying that
. – Josh
SteveandPaula Runyan, you are deliberately misinterpreting what he says in the video. No reasonable person would think he meant what you accuse him of advocating–i.e., killing people off through vaccination. Why are so many conspiracy theorists attracted to this blog?
He did not say he would kill. They would be used to prevent population growth.
EW
My body does not tolerate eggs. Before my testing, I ate fairly well, now almost all my food has to be homemade. Sometimes it makes me cry because I want to eat a tasty treat and not clear out the room and writhe on the floor. Hahaha I would think I was in utopia if large companies used flax or better yet chia! Iwould certainly pay a wee extra! I have gotten over the fact I cannot eat an omelette and most days that is fine, but sometimes I just wanna eat junk food I do not have to make:)
Hey Paula I was thinking the same thing. Chickens can be easily and inexpensively raised on a very small scale. Josh why not help change some zoning laws so people can raise chickens even in a small suburban backyard? How’s that for a “good cheap source of a protein”?
So, like forced sterilization? I still don’t get what you think he meant? I think he could’ve been clearer for sure, but I think he included vaccines in the list as something that would improve the quality of life for many in the developing world.
If quality is improved, then would that not mean more life, rather then lower numbers? There is a good body of evidence that vaccines have been used to sterilize and cause miscarriage. The hcg hormone was used in a vaccine that was targeted for pregnant and child baring age in the Philippines.
Josh,
Although I respectfully disagree with the idea of a fake egg, I have to say that you lack some transparency with regards to a full disclosure of ingredients in these ‘eggs’. You say you don’t utilize canola, so please list the ingredients so that vegans and the like can make an informed decision.
The thinking is if at-risk populations were protected against disease, infant mortality would go down, and parents would seek out contraception since they would not have to have so many babies in order to produce a surviving child.
And in my limited research it’s become clear that the vaccine he advocates is the malaria vaccine.
Believe what you will, Mary. Bill Gates said what he said about population reduction. “Oh, but he didn’t mean *THAT*!” You can live in denial, but reality is that we are fighting endless wars over false pretenses; our government knowingly approves artificial food-stuffs and pharmaceuticals that have proven harm; they terrorize farmers selling healthy raw milk; they give obscene bailouts to criminal bankers; they dumb down our children telling them propaganda not real history……
We have the Internet, now, Mary. There’s no reason to live in ignorance. Wake up.
Yup, we have the Internet now, which means that anyone can say anything they want about anyone and anything. And people can hide behind monikers like Truth Chick and spread half-truths without reprecussion. Hey, guess what I heard?! Bill Gates, Oprah, and Obama conspired with Homeland Security to bring down Tower 7 and then partied all night at the Bohemian Grove and burned effigies of Mother Teresa!!! Pass it on before the government microchips us all and herds us into work camps! Don’t believe me??? Alex Jones has PROOF! He said so himself!
You are SO RIGHT about some of this, and you don’t even know it! Check out what Jeffery Smith has to say about GMOs and you won’t have a problem thinking the corporate controlled government doesn’t have your best interest in mind. Conspiracy or not – so many of us are questioning things as they are now. What’s not good in that?
I think that it’s sad that the comments made by a few have ruined this opportunity to share our thoughts with Josh. It has been disrespectful not only to Sarah but also to those of us who use this website “Healthy Home Economist” to gather and share information. This is not a place of attack but a place to share knowledge. Please take your hate and disrespect of others thoughts to a true “conspiracy theory” website.
I personally chose to buy whole foods grown by local farmers that I can visit. I too wish society would enable more small local farmers to grow wholesome food and raise healthy, humanely treated animals. I voice that belief everytime I purchase food, yes it costs more but that’s how I chose to further this cause. When I do buy food at a grocery store I DO NOT and WILL NOT buy processed foods. We also have to teach healthy whole food cooking practices to the masses again, the skill has been all but lost in some segments of our society.
Josh, I am sorry that a respectful dialogue about your product has been tainted by a few hotheads. Your replies have shown that you are a man who respects differing opinions and are able to intelligently engage those who disagree with you.
MY hate? I was responding to the accusations by other commenters that Bill Gates is, among other nefarious things, a murderer! I share many of the opinions often expressed by Sarah’s readers. I abhor the practices of industrial agriculture and big pharma. I agree that government often oversteps the bounds of its intended function and into the personal lives of citizens. I just don’t understand why, when there are so many real injustices to fight, people feel they need to invent atrocities and stir up the outrage of those unwilling to think for themselves.
Josh,
Several people have asked if your ingredients are GMO. I’ve noticed that you have not answered this question specifically. Although you’ve said they are not chemically modified you have not stated whether or not any of the ingredients are genetically modified.
So, are any of the ingredients GMO?
Well, this just sounds plain gross! As a child, my mom used to get government “surplus” food, which included powdered eggs. I think back on the stuff we ate as kids; powdered milk, eggs, and Golden Soft margarine… It’s a wonder we survived! Even though we are a low-income family, I make sure the foods we eat are REAL – and whole foods. My kids get grass-fed butter, raw milk, organic veggies, and so on. When will man learn that he can NEVER duplicate what is provided for us in nature?
Hey Jamie! I agree with you
. We make sure the highly nutritious plants that we use are very real w/minimal processing. It’s important to us, too.
Josh,
Good luck with your new invention. I suppose the vegan eaters will be thrilled. I live on real eggs – like a few each day – from a farm where the chickens run around and are happy. I sure am glad to have eggs, and since I cook everything from scratch I won’t be buying your product.
You better advertise it for the VEGAN folks – who just eat plants only. They may like it.
Josh says, “Some of the economics of meat production, particularly around feed, aren’t good.”
Oh really now? Allan Savory sees things from a different perspective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTHi7O66pI&feature=youtu.be
David Brown\’s last post: Bad dietary advice generates fatalities
“Used as early as 1912 in camp cooking and for food rationing in the United Kingdom during WWII. . . ”
I think you meant “WWI,” not “WWII.” :0)
Or did you mean “1942″?
Gross. Absolutely disgusting. I’d rather eat my own sh*t than eat these fake eggs.
Let’s all take a deep breath and a step back. Here are the facts: Josh has developed a product that any of us who follow Sarah’s blog are unlikely to use. However, we are always bemoaning the fact that so many people eat the SAD diet, and suffer for it. The product that Josh developed can be used instead of dried eggs in many processed food applications. It also gives vegans an option for egg-like protein. So, in a very small way, the SAD diet is improved a tiny bit, because dried eggs are chemically harmful. Vegans (and a small portion of the population can actually get along well with this diet) have an option. In a tiny way it can reduce reliance on battery hens if he can produce it cheaper. Don’t like this product? Don’t use it. Just because you would not use it doesn’t mean it is the devil incarnate. He’s not trying to push it on us. The reason we crossed paths is that he mom reads Sarah’s blog.
Marianne – Thank you. – Josh
Bill Gates is an jerk! Never have I seen someone with that much money lack such morals and compassion for their fellow humans. He is all about money, population control and greed! Let him eat some of the GMO’s he promotes and see if he grows a tail.
We keep chickens. We’re very lucky to live in a metropolitan area that has liberal (traditional?) chicken ordinances.
Even Bill Gates could keep chickens in his neighborhood.
Hey all – Question for everyone… Does it worry you that almost all of the feed given to the animals we eat (unless from purely organic sources) are GMO crops? I just wonder if the GMO concern is mostly from the direct consumption (i.e., eating the Cheerios) or does eating, oh, let’s say an egg, from a hen that has been fed GMO corn also concern you? Curious to have your thoughts
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I go out of my way to feed my chickens non GMO feed and to buy pork and beef that was not GMO fed. (The latter is pretty easy with grass fed beef.) Same with dairy. I would venture a guess that most readers here feel the same. Lots of sources are not certified organic but have better “beyond organic” practices (like chickens that aren’t vegetarians!) GMOs as food (and meat’s food) are just one big science project in which I opt to not participate.
Hey IC – So you would be opposed to eating Cheerios or Pop Tarts or pancakes from IHOP or Denny’s…? Thank for helping me understand. – Josh
Aside from in college, I’ve never eaten pop tarts and cheerios or at IHOP or Dennys mostly because very little of it is actually food! If we go out to eat, it’s a locally sourced restaurant or to the health food co-op cafe for a grassfed burger.
Josh,
Typically “Real Foodies”/Traditional Foodies do not consume GMO period even if it was processed by the gut of an animal. We understand that we are what we absorb and if we were to consume the meat, eggs, or dairy from an animal fed GMO we would be absorbing a big dose of exactly that. When I can not get eggs from my local farmers market I buy soy free eggs from a free range farm here in Southern California. I only buy meat from local ranchers or US Wellness Meats, Dey Dey’s Best Beef Ever, Tropical Traditions and few others that I know NEVER feed their animals GMO or anything not in their natural diet. I think a book you would really like and learn a lot from is “The Omnivores Dilemma” by Michael Pollen.
Josh (if you’re still reading) -
How is your product different from Vegg?
Thanks
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Hey Josh, I’ve thought more about this and I think if you use quality plant-based ingredients (no toxic, highly processed chemically GMO stuff), then I think Beyond Eggs will be a beneficial product. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but for some people and some applications (no, probably not for the “traditional” type of food people). While thinking about this, I’ve looked again at the battery cage system and if you could alleviate some of the demand for that type of product, then that’s certainly a good thing. It’s easy to put the disgusting facts about factory farming out of your mind if you aren’t thinking about it all the time….or aware of it, for that matter. Battery cage produced eggs are not high quality nutritionally, and, more importantly, it’s a horrible, inhumane type of “farming” (if you can even call it that), and if you can lessen the demand for that type of egg, I think that could be a good thing. I know most here source grass-fed and farmed meat and eggs (though not always easy and always available), and want to see less poor quality, “processed” and “fake” type of food being produced, so I think that’s where the concern comes from.
I am able to get eggs from a small independent family who raises chickens (sold through a small local store), but I don’t know everything about what they are fed. In the winter (Michigan), any chickens have to be fed some type of feed and it does concern me about it having GMO corn or soy in the feed. And they may get some type of feed – maybe supplemental – all year that could contain questionable ingredients. I guess we do the best we can and I can’t be 100% sure or perfect about any of this. I noticed poster Natural Nutrition Nurse said she gets soy-free eggs from the farmers market, but that doesn’t mean the chickens don’t get any GMO corn or something else that’s questionable. I don’t think chickens can be raised only on grass and bugs (am I wrong on that?) and unless every producer is very conscientious and feeding organic, and you know exactly what they feed all year long, then there could still be GMO or something else in there. Yes, it is a concern that the eggs and meat may come from chickens that are fed GMOs, even if it’s not 100% GMO feed and they are called “cage-free”. Also to answer you inquiry, as of this year, I am aware of where GMOs can be found in other food products and I do go out of my way to avoid them, and I don’t eat a lot of processed food. True, GMO is likely fairly prevalent in restaurant food, which is another concern (no, I don’t eat at a place like IHOP, but any restaurant could use GMO oil etc).
For me, I’ve found it’s important to be open-minded and not absolutist about things. Yes, people here promote pasture-raised, real food, but the reality is, but most egg and meat products are not that. Most eggs and meat ARE from chickens that get all GMO feed, who are not in a natural setting, even if they aren’t from the battery cage system. If your product could lessen the demand for the worse type of battery cage eggs and if it gives vegans something to use in baking or other applications (saw the eggs benedict looking thing on your site – wow), why can’t that be a good thing? But again, it’s important to create a product that won’t be detrimental to the health of those who use it! Another thing is that it seems like people are just getting more and more used to processed and “fake” type foods and ingredients, and just want cheaper foods, and they don’t seem to question any of it and that bothers me.
I read this blog as another source of useful information about health and diet, but I also read some plant-based and vegan bloggers as I try to figure out what works for me health wise. (I was interested in being vegan after learning about factory farming and I tried it for a period of time, but I’ve come to realize I need some degree of quality animal products – for me, it’s not a lot at this point.). I think we all need to work together to improve our food system and not be and ‘us and them’ type of thing. I think it’s great that you seem to care about creating a quality product. It was cool that you saw this and stopped by to have some interaction and provide information about your product.
Good luck, and, btw, I think the vegan recipe bloggers are really going to like your product (if it’s all it claims to be, as I looked at your site).
I have to wonder how they get an “egg” color to this junk? If their ingredients as listed result in a greenish-gray powder, they are certainly adding something that is not on the label to get consumers to buy them.
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Probably will use tumeric spice which is a standard vegan way of getting yellow color without adding any overiding flavors.