Eat Just, Inc., a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods, announced that its award-winning plant-based egg will be coming to Whole Foods Market and select Walmart stores in Canada this fall. Canada is one of the most requested markets for the product, which has been a breakout success in retail and foodservice channels in the United States since its nationwide launch last year.
The newly released fluffy, folded format, which is perfect on top of toast, inside breakfast sandwiches or as a plant-based, protein-packed addition to any meal, will be marketed as JUST Plant Egg in Canada. It will be sold as a box of four in the frozen aisle at Whole Foods Market in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Ottawa, and at more than 100 Walmart stores coast-to-coast. Additional on-shelf details will be announced at a later date.
In the U.S., sales of the toaster-ready product have surged since April, and it is now the #1 frozen breakfast entrée by velocity in the Natural Channel, according to SPINS, the leading provider of data and insights for the natural products industry.1 At a top-five U.S. supermarket, velocity has more than tripled, with our folded egg reaching the #1 spot in frozen breakfast, cracking the long-held waffle monopoly.2
The product is free of cholesterol and has as much or more protein than many animal proteins (7g per serving). It is Non-GMO Project verified, egg-free, dairy-free, has no artificial flavours and its ingredients use 98% less water, have a 93% smaller carbon footprint and use 86% less land than conventional animal sources. The key ingredient is protein from the mung bean, a legume that has been cultivated for thousands of years and is consumed all over the world.
“I'm so proud to announce this milestone in Canada,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO. “We’re working hard to make our products available in as many places as possible and launching in Canada, where demand for plant-based proteins is strong and growing, brings us one step closer to that goal.”
At the aforementioned top-five supermarket chain in the U.S., the original pourable plant-based egg is squarely in the top 15% of egg SKUs, one of the highest turning categories in grocery. At the same retailer, that product’s velocity has grown 10x since launch. Given the pourable format’s success in the U.S., the company is working with regulators to bring that product to Canadian consumers as soon as possible.
JUST Plant Egg’s arrival in Canada comes at a time when millions of citizens are embracing alternative proteins. On June 22, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a government investment of almost $100 million in plant-based protein innovation and Health Canada recently updated its food guideto emphasize plant-based diets. Meanwhile, internet searches by Canadians for the term “plant-based” have skyrocketed in the last 12 months, according to Google Trends.
More than 10.2 million Canadians are reducing or eliminating meat consumption, up from 6.4 million in 2018, according to Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab. More than 60% of vegans in Canada are under the age of 38 and 42% of flexitarians, those who keep semi-plant-based diets, are Baby Boomers, researchers found. Health, animal welfare, the environment and taste appear to be major factors for the shift.
Furthermore, the lab’s 2019 year-end study showed that 31% of Canadians intended to eat more plant-based in 2020 and 24% planned to visit the freezer aisle, where the folded offering will be found, more often. A total of 44% of Canadians said they planned to cook more in 2020 than in 2019 with changing one’s diet (42%) as their motivation.
For more information about JUST Plant Egg’s forthcoming availability in Canada, please visit ju.st/canada.
