2365 Nayo Maze

Sometimes you wonder about the larger corporations. On the one hand they do a lot of good. Like Boeing has a building at its plant in Washington that's so big you could put all of Disneyland and California Country inside it. Lots of folks working there. And they certainly boost the local economy.

Then there's Hellman's Mayonnaise. Their corporate parent, consumer goods giant Unilever, is suing a small San Francisco startup called Hampton Creek for unfair competition. Like an elephant suing a mouse for being able to fit into a mouse hole. 

Because Hampton Creek has found a little product niche it can slide into that Unilever has apparently overlooked. Vegan condiments. The suit in question alleges that the small company, whose spreadable condiment is named "Just Mayo," is unfairly misleading the public with that name as their product contains no eggs and is therefore not mayonnaise. 

The Food and Drug administration requires products marketed as mayonnaise to have "egg-yolk containing ingredients." "Just Mayo" makes their spreadable product out of yellow peas instead of eggs to promote a cholesterol-free plant based alternative. 

Hampton Creek maintains nothing is wrong as they do not use the term mayonnaise. Just the term "Just Mayo" in their name. And it is, as you can tell, indeed just "Mayo." 

Nothing wrong with the term Mayo itself. Perhaps it refers to a company founder, like Walter Mayo. Or it's a clever cutesy way of saying the month of May. Maybe a reggae interpretation thereof. "Deyo, it's the month of Mayo..." By the way, Hampton Creek also sells nothing with a creek in it.

Let's hope the lawsuit fails. It could set a dangerous precedent. Not sure I'm ready to have my iPhone or computer contain an actual Apple. 

America, ya gotta love it.