Vegenaise ® is egg free. The Federal Standard of Identity specifies that mayonnaise must contain eggs. Therefore, Vegenaise ® comes under the FDA category of Dressing and Sandwich Spread. Nevertheless, in taste tests, consumers and food experts consistently identify Vegenaise ® as tasting more like real mayonnaise than other products, including many containing eggs.* There are a great number of people today who wish to avoid eggs in their diet due to vegetarian, health, allergy, and moral/religious reasons. We receive countless letters from such people who are grateful to be able to enjoy eating some of their favorite foods which would ordinarily require the use of mayonnaise.
* In a test of 13 leading lower-fat mayonnaises which appeared in the New York Times (July 29, 1998) Vegenaise ® was selected as a standout, beating out, among others, Hellman's Low Fat Mayonnaise, Kraft Mayonnaise Light, Kraft Miracle Whip Light Dressing, Nayonnaise Vegi Dressing and Spread, and Spectrum Lite Canola Mayonnaise.
Vegenaise ® is dairy free. While regular mayonnaise is usually made without dairy products, some, especially those made without eggs, do contain whey, which is a milk product.
Vegenaise ® contains no cholesterol. Since Vegenaise ® contains no ingredients derived from animal sources, it therefore is completely free of cholesterol. Furthermore, Vegenaise ® contains no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fat, no transfat, and is low in saturated fat.
Vegenaise ® contains 20% less fat than ordinary mayonnaise.
Vegenaise ® is fresh! It contains no preservatives. In contrast to mayonnaises which typically use preservatives to reduce rancidity and to prevent the growth of dangerous organisms such as salmonella in the eggs, Vegenaise ® is kept constantly refrigerated to keep it as fresh as the day it was made. For marketing and distribution reasons, no other national brand of sandwich spread has taken this bold approach to delivering the consumer a fresh sandwich spread. It's easier and cheaper to deal with a product that can be shipped, stored for long periods, and merchandised at room temperatures or higher. But such methods require the addition of questionable ingredients, adjustments in formulation at the expense of taste, or both. Only Vegenaise ® delivers the uncompromised pure taste and superior qualities of a truly fresh product.
Vegenaise ® is versatile. Even more than mayonnaise, which tends to be a little delicate at times, Vegenaise ® can stand up to a lot more than a potato salad. In addition to all the usual applications, we've made delicious use of Vegenaise ® in recipes ranging from luscious garlic aïoli, to dips and dressings, an incredible Vegenaise ® Eggless Chocolate Cake, or even a warm Vegenaise ® Marsala Wine Sauce we use to dress up our steamed asparagus. The possibilities are endless. Two caveats however; always store Vegenaise ® in the refrigerator, and like mayonnaise, Vegenaise ® must not be frozen. Forgot to put it in the refrigerator right away when you got home? No harm done. Because there are no eggs in Vegenaise, leaving it out at room temperature won't pose any health hazard. But, each day it will lose a little bit of its fresh taste, so we always recommend constant refrigeration.
Vegenaise ® contains no highly refined sugars. In mayonnaise type spreads, the sharper tones of vinegar and lemon are typically balanced with a sweetener, usually sugar or corn syrup. We use brown rice syrup, because it is a highly nutritious, minimally processed sweetener with a pleasant flavor, and which, unlike honey, is acceptable to strict vegans who prefer to avoid all animal products. Vegenaise ® is a vegan food. It contains no animal ingredients. Vegenaise ® contains no wheat, no yeast, no gums, no fillers, no starch, and no gluten (no, not even in the enzyme used to produce the brown rice syrup - we've checked).
Vegenaise ® contains no grain vinegar. Only natural apple cider vinegar is used. The mustard listed in the ingredients is pure ground mustard seed, not prepared mustard, which usually contains distilled grain vinegar.
Vegenaise ® is low in sodium. It contains only 80 mg. per serving.
Vegenaise ® contains soy protein. Soy is becoming increasingly popular due to its many nutritional benefits including its function as a natural estrogen replacement.
Vegenaise ® comes in 16 oz. and 32 oz. recyclable glass bottles with recyclable plastic lids. For restaurants, delis, caterers, institutions such as schools, hospitals, cafeterias and food processors, Vegenaise ® is available in more economical gallons and 40 lb. pails.
Vegenaise ® is made in four varieties, Original, Grapeseed Oil, Expeller Pressed and Organic. All of the varieties taste similar; however, each is made with a different oil, and of course, the Organic Vegenaise ® is made entirely with organic ingredients. Of the four varieties, the Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise ® differs slightly in taste due to the fact that grapeseed oil has a more distinctive flavor than the other oils used.
Original Vegenaise is made with Canola Oil, lowest in saturated fat of all the popular edible oils.
Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise is used in another version of our product for its extraordinary qualities with respect to its effect on cholesterol. Clinical tests have shown grapeseed oil to have a significant effect on lowering serum cholesterol. More importantly, subjects experienced a lowering of LDL (the so called "bad" cholesterol), and an increase in HDL (the "good" cholesterol). For more details of this study, click here. Those already familiar with grapeseed oil may wonder if the powerful family of antioxidants known as proanthocyanidins which are naturally occurring in grapeseed oil are effected by our processing. The answer is that our unique cold process keeps all available nutritional factors intact.
Vegenaise ® with Expeller Pressed Canola Oil is another variety. Expeller pressed oils are extracted without the use of any of the solvents typically used in the production of most edible oils. The lower oil yield achieved through an exclusively expeller pressed method results in a somewhat higher price. However, some individuals prefer to use only products which are processed entirely without solvents. Expeller Pressed Vegenaise ® meets those customers' needs.
Organic Vegenaise is made with the highest quality, third party certified, organic ingredients. The oil in Organic Vegenaise ® is Expeller Pressed Organic Soybean Oil. In order to be labeled "Organic", products must contain a minimum of 95% certified organic ingredients (excluding water and salt). Organic Vegenaise ® exceeds this standard. It's the ultimate answer for those who insist upon only the purest, certified ingredients, and on supporting a sustainable agricultural system, one which considers both the end users, and the source, our one and only, precious Mother Earth. Nothing has been spared in the making of this product, to ensure that we could deliver all the great Vegenaise ® taste and quality that you have come to rely upon.
Does Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise ® contain any solvent residue? Grapeseed oil, considered to be a premium quality oil by many chefs, is produced from the seeds and skins remaining behind after grapes are crushed for wine or juice. Since grape seeds contain only a very small percentage of oil, solvent extraction is the only method currently available to produce this fine oil. Most, if not all, of the solvent used in separating the oil from the seeds is evaporated during processing. We believe that any residue which may remain is so minute as to be insignificant, especially when taking into consideration the many benefits of grapeseed oil. Independent laboratory analysis of the grapeseed oil we use has shown solvent residue ranging from low to non-detected. For more detailed information on this topic, please click here.
What about genetically engineered ingredients? Consumers who are concerned about genetically engineered ingredients (GMO's [Genetically Modified Organisms]) can be confident that the Expeller Pressed Vegenaise, Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise ® and Organic Vegenaise ® are all free of GMO's. While the soy protein used in all of our Vegenaise ® products is from Certified Non-GMO sources, we are still seeking to obtain a conventional canola oil which is Certified Non-GMO for use in our Original Vegenaise. (Note: Vegetable oils do not contain genetically modified material, due to the fact that protein, absent in refined oils, is part of the seed which is modified.)
There's a lot of confusion about the name of our product. Some people call it Vege-naise, pronounced with a soft "g", as in vegetarian. Due to the fact that it is a vegan food, many people call it Vegan-aise, with a hard "g", as in vegan. At the time we first created our product, in the early 1970s, the word "vegan" was relatively new, and not yet widely recognized or understood. It couldn't even be found in most dictionaries. So, it never occurred to us to use that term in the name of our product. We were simply thinking, "Vegetarian Mayonnaise". But because Vegan-aise so aptly describes our product, we think that's a pretty good name too. Which one's right? Well, we call it Vege-naise from force of habit, but you can Follow Your Heart, and call it whichever you prefer. Just ask for it by name. They'll know what you mean.