The Vegetarian Butcher to Veganize Products With The EVERY Co.’s Animal-Free Egg Whites – vegconomist

The Vegetarian Butcher, part of Unilever, is partnering with The EVERY Company to enhance the texture and nutritional profile of its plant-based meat alternatives using The EVERY Company’s EVERY EggWhite. This proprietary ingredient, derived from precision fermentation, mimics the binding properties of conventional eggs without involving any animal components.

Formerly known as Clara Foods, EVERY has pioneered the development of animal-free egg products through a fermentation process that utilizes yeast and sugar to produce proteins that mimic the gelation properties of hen’s eggs. This method enables the production of high-quality, functional proteins with a significantly reduced environmental footprint compared to traditional animal farming.

The company’s proteins are Vegan Society certified as no animals were used or harmed to produce its egg proteins, though they still require an egg allergen warning. Therefore, the integration of EVERY EggWhite into The Vegetarian Butcher’s products is part of the company’s step towards veganizing its product lineup while maintaining taste and texture. The ingredient will serve as a clean-label binder in several of The Vegetarian Butcher’s offerings, including its flagship burger patties.

Product line enhancement

“This breakthrough, clean-label ingredient is a natural fit with The Vegetarian Butcher’s mission to release animals from the food chain. After years of dedicated effort to further veganize our product range, this new collaboration aims to accelerate the final steps of this process while preserving the delicious taste and texture of our products,” noted The Vegetarian Butcher in a statement on social media.

Chief Commercial Officer at The EVERY Company, Nick Toriello, told AgFunderNews: “[The Vegetarian Butcher has] been trying to get methylcellulose out of their formulations for quite some time. And what was key to them was that EVERY Egg White was a relatively simple and straightforward product to work with, as it could just serve as a drop-in replacement. The taste and texture of the end product is superior and they get a cleaner label at the back end.”

Both companies are exploring the broader use of this ingredient across multiple markets, with EVERY already having secured Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status in the United States. The EU and UK are next on the agenda for regulatory approval.

International approach

The EVERY Company is taking an international approach to product launches, with its ingredients already being incorporated into various global markets. At the end of last year, EVERY partnered with Grupo Nutresa, Colombia’s largest consumer packaged goods food company, to enhance the taste and texture of Nutresa’s alternative meat product line.

Further, The Vegetarian Butcher’s products are in scores of markets across the globe, including The Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, Germany and the UK. A representative from EVERY told vegconomist that Unilever is likewise assessing the use of EVERY EggWhite ingredients in multiple markets.

Toriello told vegconomist, “We’re thrilled to partner with The Vegetarian Butcher to deliver a clean-label solution for their vegetarian meats. Our highly functional, humanely sourced egg ingredients enhance each bite of their delicious patties. At EVERY, our mission is to craft high-quality, mouthwatering products that are better for people and the planet. Together with Unilever’s The Vegetarian Butcher, we’re making this dream a reality.”