Asia's Richest Man Is Betting Big On Silicon Valley's Fake Eggs

Daniel_Stuckey writes with more news about science making non-human animals obsolete "Li Ka-shing, widely billed as Asia's richest man, announced a $23 million Series B investment in Hampton Creek Foods through his fund Horizon Ventures on Monday, bringing the food technology startup's total take to $30 million after initial investments by people including Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. Bill Gates is also an investor and fan. The egg replacement still requires fine-tuning, according to Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick, but the company's mayonnaise replacement is already on shelves at stores including Whole Foods and some of the largest retail brands in the country. (Mayo is usually made with eggs and vinegar.)"

Comments

Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Eggs are dirt cheap and plentiful.

Re: Why?

[Elros]

Because Vegans like breakfast too?

Re: Why?

[drinkypoo]

Because Vegans like breakfast too?

I always presumed they ate breakfast on Vega, now I know.

We're talking about vegans here, though, and if they enjoy their breakfasts so much, why do they need fake eggs? What's wrong with their normal vegan breakfast that they have to eat fake animal protein?

Re: Why?

[koan]

Think of all the different foods that use eggs as an ingrediant, it opens the door to more food types for vegans.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Think of all the different foods that use eggs as an ingrediant, it opens the door to more food types for vegans.

Being vegan is a choice. If they don't want to eat eggs then don't eat eggs. But why expend the mental effort to create something fake when the real thing is plentiful, healthy (in moderation), and have been eaten for all of Human history? There are real problems in this world to solve and this seems like an utter waste of effort. Chickens produce eggs and when they aren't good at producing eggs their meat and feathers are useful. They also tend to eat pest insects. It's actually very efficient process.

If you worry about animal cruelty then work on that problem. But fake eggs? Talk about fixing what ain't broke.

Re:Why?

[ShanghaiBill]

Eggs are dirt cheap and plentiful.

Eggs are cheap compared to meat. They are not cheap compared to soybeans and grain. They are plentiful in first world grocery stores. They are not so plentiful in the diets of third world children.

The taste should not be a problem. As someone who has a small flock of chickens in my backyard, I can tell you that the factory farm eggs you buy don't taste like "real" eggs either.

Re: Why?

[PopeRatzo]

You could have a different vegan breakfast every day for a year and never have to resort to fake eggs.

Re: Why?

[jellomizer]

Then vegans need to get over themselves.
To try to get a balanced diet they are eating so much processed food to try to match what we get from a piece of cheese or an egg.

They talk about it being more environmentally friendly, however how many of these ingredients that you growing, then cutting, and processing the hell out of them are you using. You "egg" is made from an acre of Soybeans, don't you feel good about yourself, with a good portion of it going to waste. While my Egg is from a chicken that has eaten 1 acre of feed and produced hundreds of eggs during its lifetime. And the chicken works as a rather efficient little factory of making eggs.

Re: Why?

[mhansen444]

We're talking about vegans here, though, and if they enjoy their breakfasts so much, why do they need fake eggs? What's wrong with their normal vegan breakfast that they have to eat fake animal protein?

They aren't making egg replacements to cater to vegans. Think of all of the processed food like mayo, cookies, etc. which contains eggs. If they can create a cheaper, effective replacement for eggs then it would reduce the demand for factory farm produced eggs (which is how a majority of all eggs are produced).

Re: Why?

[amalcolm]

Did someone else's life choice hurt your feelings?

Re: Why?

[CanHasDIY]

We're talking about vegans here, though, and if they enjoy their breakfasts so much, why do they need fake eggs? What's wrong with their normal vegan breakfast that they have to eat fake animal protein?

They aren't making egg replacements to cater to vegans. Think of all of the processed food like mayo, cookies, etc. which contains eggs. If they can create a cheaper, effective replacement for eggs then it would reduce the demand for factory farm produced eggs (which is how a majority of all eggs are produced).

Having been to one of those factory farms... or rather, having been within olfactory range of one, I can't say I don't like the idea of obsoleting them.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Because if you ever saw the inside of an egg factory and how those chickens are treated, you would not want to ever give those people money again either. Or perhaps you still would. I suppose that would say a lot about a person's character.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

It would also provide an egg-free option for those of us who are allergic to eggs.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

No, I think it's more their insistence that my life choice is wrong and give me hell for eating animal products because I'm evil, then spending massive amounts of money trying to synthesize exactly what I eat, just so long as it didn't come from an animal.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Did a simple and obvious solution to a problem that exists only in someone's mind hurt yours?

Re: Why?

[alex67500]

Breakfast is eggs, sausage and bacon. Vegans can eat all the soy-crap they want, it still won't be called breakfast!

Re:Why?

[drinkypoo]

Eggs are cheap compared to meat. They are not cheap compared to soybeans and grain. They are plentiful in first world grocery stores. They are not so plentiful in the diets of third world children.

Right, but that's not because they can't raise chickens where they are. It's because someone will eventually steal their chicken. You can raise crickets in a trash can and feed your chicken crickets, but someone would steal their trash can as well. Problem is, won't someone just steal their egg substitute?

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

As someone who has a small flock of chickens in my backyard, I can tell you that the factory farm eggs you buy don't taste like "real" eggs either.

It's the damn corn. I get free range chicken eggs from a NC farm at Whole Foods and they're about the same price as my local Kroger's eggs - and if you look at them side by side, the NC eggs have darker yolks and, acoording to them anyway, a higher omega-3 content.

I bet you let the chickens run around, eat bugs and plants. They're probably really healthy too.

That's the trouble with factory farming, they force feed the animals things they don't eat naturally: like corn, brains, and other refuse. Cows eat grass; not corn. To get a cow to eat corn, they have to pump the poor thing up with drugs (like anitbiotics) otherwise it gets sick. Or feed chickens the feed exclusively, pack them into the coop, and the roll around in their own shit. Again, gotta pump the poor animals up with anitbiotics and other drugs.

And it's all to keep the prices as low as possible so that we can stuff our faces more.

Re: Why?

[nitehawk214]

Does my eating delicious delicious meat hurt your feelings?

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

If they don't want to eat eggs then don't eat eggs.

Disclaimer: Vegan here having trouble logging into my account, and I won't debate the merits or moral/philosophical implications of veganism in this thread, nor respond to the ramblings of amateur nutritionists,

That said, I agree with the excerpt above - fake eggs, fake meat, fake cheese - none of it actually tastes like the real deal and is almost universally disgusting, in addition to being a waste of mental and economic resources. Also, chasing after that dragon only makes it more difficult to maintain a vegan lifestyle. So vegans, don't fake the funk - enjoy the actual, natural taste (learn how to use seasoning/spices) of the foods that you do eat, instead of trying to make them taste like something they're not.

Re: Why?

[nitehawk214]

And factory produced eggs are rather tasteless, and the factory-farms themselves are horrifying. One look at (or better yet, smell of) one of those, and I can totally understand why people go vegan. I like meat wayy too much to consider this.

However for a slight more expense locally actual-farm raised meat and dairy cannot be beat. (and backyard-raised eggs are even better than that :)

Re: Why?

[Lumpy]

only for kids. Breakfast is STEAK.

Re:Why?

[Oligonicella]

Your little screed about cows is simply untrue. Farmers commonly raised feed corn and milo long before the antibiotics thing and the cattle ate them with relish. By the way moron, corn is a grass. Put down the pamphlet and leave it on the coffee table from now on.

Re: Why?

[nitehawk214]

Unfortunately the mass-produced eggs they are trying to replace that go into processed food products are not from chickens that eat farm feed and mill about in the pasture. Instead they are force-fed antibiotics and crammed in together so tight... all to maximize that efficiency more.

So replace the factory mass produced eggs with something cleaner, while we focus on real traditional farms to produce eggs for eating. The egg on my breakfast sandwich can come from the local farmer's market, while the mayo can use the egg-substitute.

Re:Why?

[Oligonicella]

What a lame attempt at shaming. My guess is **you** have never set foot inside, only seen "documentaries" on YouTube.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most vegan foods are quite inefficient when compared with something like eggs

This is completely and totally false. You probably consider yourself a rational and thoughtful person. But right now you're just making things up so that you don't have to think about the choices you've made. That's sad.

 

But they need those extra resources to feel good about themselves. A neutron bomb to San Francisco should eliminate lots of smug and the risk of a smug storm.

It's easy to dismiss vegans if you decide they're smug jerks before you actually hear any of their arguments. This is called "Do-Gooder Derogation":

http://www.humaneresearch.org/content/do-gooder-derogation-disparaging-morally-motivated-minorities-defuse-anticipated-reproach

Maybe you should actually do research next time? You won't, of course. You've already decided that you want to eat meat and other animal products. And your mind will perform whatever mental gymnastics are necessary to allow for that.

Re:Why?

[interkin3tic]

TFA mentions that animal factories aren't very efficient compared to plants. Think of the energy pyramid of the food chain: taking energy from the sun and putting it into food directly is more efficient than channeling it through plants to chickens to eggs. For another, there's health issues: free range egg farming isn't very efficient, keeping them penned up and close to each other increases the likelihood of diseases spreading, ruining the efficiency.

So while they are somewhat cheap, they could be MUCH cheaper. Given that food is a necessity, this guy could really clean up. Bad news for egg farmers if he does, but there will probably be enough FUD about artificial eggs to keep them employed for a long time.

Re:Why?

[turgid]

I am allergic to eggs (and milk) you insensitive clod.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Give you hell? What? Hello Do-Gooder Derogation:

http://www.humaneresearch.org/content/do-gooder-derogation-disparaging-morally-motivated-minorities-defuse-anticipated-reproach

Re: Why?

[sharknado]

We're talking about vegans here, though, and if they enjoy their breakfasts so much, why do they need fake eggs?

Most vegans I know talk about how hard it was to give up eating meat (especially bacon), eggs, butter, etc. They do it because they believe that abusing animals for food is unethical. Not because they don't find it tasty. Fake eggs lack the ethical baggage, which is fine for ethical vegans who still want to eat eggs, or for the general population who continue to eat meat and animal products because they are so tasty, but feel guilty that animals are harmed in the process. If you had the option of choosing eggs which didn't result in harm to animals, would you, assuming that the eggs are identical, and the price was the same?

Re:Why?

[3.5 stripes]

Corn is a grass, but the grain is only a small part of the plant. The problem is with the grain.

Corn does cause problems for cows, because too much starch causes overacidity in the rumen, and lots of problems with digestion, ulcers, and so forth. Corn can be eaten by cows, but it needs to be balanced with silage.. ie things with much more fiber such as the entire grass plant. That or the farmer can just give them antibiotics, and take advantage of the extra weight the much more easily digestible starches add to their animals.

Re: Why?

[syockit]

Nobody ever cared to ask me when they ate my Broccoli friends!

Re: Why?

[exploder]

Then vegans need to get over themselves

Stereotypes aside, can I just point out that the overwhelming majority of I-know-what's-good-for-you self-righteousness in these comments isn't coming from the vegans?

Re: Why?

[knightghost]

Ignoring that we are omnivores is unethical. Vegan is just a large fad clique based on marketing over science.

Re:Why?

[Immerman]

No, it's because they're living near subsistence levels and every organism in the chain between sunlight and water and the food in your belly represents a serious efficiency loss. Chickens are one of the more efficient higher animals, but every pound of meat still requires 2-3 pounds of feed to produce, and I doubt eggs are considerably more efficient.

If you're perched near the razor edge of survival, why on earth would you feed the crickets to your chickens? The crickets are actually more nutritious to eat directly, and you'd get around 3x the calories, protein, and other nutrients as you would by eating the eggs they were processed into. Most of the people in the world don't share European aversion to eating insects and arthropods - in many African and Asian cultures many insects such as scorpions and bee larva are actually expensive delicacies. Even in the developed world most of the population has re-acquired a taste for things like crab, which are essentially just oversized aquatic spiders with particularly tough shells.

Re:Why?

[Immerman]

Yes, corn is a grass. But we don't feed cows the leafy grass part, we feed them the grain. And cows aren't built to eat mostly grain. Dairy cows for example will produce about 2x the milk on a grain diet than on a grass diet, but they'll only survive 1/2 as long. Digesting grain requires a completely different set of symbiotic gut bacteria than leaves, but they aren't species that co-evolved with cows, and they put a much greater strain on their host than the normal populations.

Re: Why?

[TheCarp]

Kind of reminds me of the country side of my family complaining about city folk who move out their way. "First they move outside the city, then they complain about the smell of cow shit, where did they think they were moving?"

Re: Why?

[daem0n1x]

Then eat stones and avoid hurting any poor little living beings.

Re: Why?

[mhansen444]

They talk about it being more environmentally friendly, however how many of these ingredients that you growing, then cutting, and processing the hell out of them are you using. You "egg" is made from an acre of Soybeans, don't you feel good about yourself, with a good portion of it going to waste. While my Egg is from a chicken that has eaten 1 acre of feed and produced hundreds of eggs during its lifetime. And the chicken works as a rather efficient little factory of making eggs.

If you're going to argue that using pea protein instead of eggs is less environmentally friendly, you'll have to do better than just making up some numbers. The chicken seems rather inefficient since if all you want is the egg, doing things like growing, moving around, maintaining life, etc. all are inefficiencies in the plant to egg process.

On first glance, it would seem that it's more efficient to use the plant-based version. Hellman's Mayo is 8% eggs while Hampton Creek's mayo is under 2% pea protein. Even if the chicken was ultra-efficient and converted 1g of feed to 1g of eggs, you'd still have to show the that process from pea to pea protein was at least four times less efficient.

Given that one of their main points / goals is to be less expensive than using eggs, it seems unlikely that the plant-based version would be less efficient.

Re:Why?

[Immerman]

>Bad news for egg farmers if he does

Maybe. Probably for the factory farmers whose product only competes on a price that will be badly undermined. But the collapse of factory farming could actually be a boon to the smaller farmers currently trying to compete on quality of goods and ethical/environmental considerations. They may no longer have the environmental advantage over the competition, but they're not necessarily worse either - managed responsibly animals are in fact good for the environment (imagine that), and they'll have a corner on the luxury real egg market - I'm sure there's no end to delicate meringues, custards, etc. that just won't turn out quite right with egg substitutes, and people will still enjoy their occasional sunny-side-up egg with breakfast.

Re: Why?

[rasmusbr]

Animals are actually an incredibly ineffective way of creating nutrients. Animal farming is really only energy efficient if you also use the animals as land clearing machines and fertilizer spreading machines like people used to do before the industrial era.

How come factory farms are the cheapest way of producing meat? To answer my own question: cheap energy. Petroleum is still cheap enough that we can turn it into tons of artificial fertilizer, spread that over enormous fields of maize and soy, feed the plants to animals and then eat the animals and their milk and eggs as if there was an endless supply of them.

Re: Why?

[CreatureComfort]

It's all about the money.

I'm certain that the plan is to produce something similar to, but almost entirely unlike real eggs, but at a far lower price point per kg for industrial baking and food preparation. When they can achieve that, they will recoup their investment many times over, and the general public will be none the wiser.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

The existance of the market for egg substitute is a perfectly fine reason to work on making fake eggs. They will likely, in no way, compete with real eggs....only with other substitutions.

And that would be fine if that's what it were but it seems to be billed as some kind of breakthrough (in particular I get the idea that people think it's "environmentally friendly") when it's not. I thought Bill Gates invested in things that were good for humanity. Hey, I love eggs and would hate to be allergic to them. Giving people who are allergic to them a tasty analog is worthwhile -- but is it along the other kinds of problems Bill Gates is trying to combat? No.

For what it's worth raising chickens is pretty damn environmentally friendly if done properly. Their feces is easy to turn into fertilizer and they eat bugs and crop pests. If you want to help the world then help get more people (even in the cities) into raising chickens and collecting honey.

Re: Why?

[JimSadler]

I understand the urge to make a product that can be produced cheaper and trying to capture a market. But it seems to me that there are two ways to make money on a chicken. One is meat and the other is eggs. If we kill off the egg side of the business the price of chicken meat may increase quite a bit. Making synthetic eggs might also displace a lot of workers in the egg industry. I wonder if this stuff is good news or not.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Bringing to market products that do not rely on exploitation of animals is one way to work on that problem.

Re:Why?

[JimSadler]

Our grains have been highjacked to make ethanol for car engines. So far nobody has found a way to ferment chickens and turn them into alcohol.

Re: Why?

[TheCarp]

> And that would be fine if that's what it were but it seems to be billed as some kind of breakthrough

Sure but what isn't billed as some kind of breakthrough? Esepcially if that thing is either looking for investors or looking to stroke the ones they already have. What constitutes a breakthrough is really a matter of opinion anyway.

> Giving people who are allergic to them a tasty analog is worthwhile -- but is it along the
> other kinds of problems Bill Gates is trying to combat? No.

Isn't it up to Mr Gates to determine what is or is not worthwhile? It is, afterall, his money.

> For what it's worth raising chickens is pretty damn environmentally friendly if done properly.

Yes well... that can be quite an if at times

> If you want to help the world then help get more people (even in the cities) into raising chickens and collecting honey.

None of which is impeded by also producing an egg substitute.

Re: Why?

[idontgno]

Fake eggs lack the ethical baggage,

Well, we can hope. Certainly, there's nothing in the provided material that clearly indicates a problem, and the preliminary marketing spin sounds vegan-friendly. But depending on how big your suitcases are, "ethical baggage" can be anything from "made from war chemicals imported from third-world warlords" to "secretly made from the immature gall bladders of unborn baby narwhals". Or just the general "made by an evil multinational".

Re: Why?

[idontgno]

Technically, anything you eat to break your overnight fast is breakfast.

F'rinstance, warm beer, hot coffee, and room-temperature pizza. (Preferably made with bacon, but not strictly necessary.)

Re: Why?

[CanHasDIY]

Kind of reminds me of the country side of my family complaining about city folk who move out their way.

Ugh, don't get me started on that crowd; where I grew up used to be a nice, idyllic chunk of good ol' American farm land, but now? McMansions as far as the eye can see.

It's downright nauseating.

Re:Why?

[New Breeze]

I think you've been reading someone's fairy tale. Every dairy farm I've ever been to feeds them chopped corn, i.e. the whole plant, along with alfalfa and other grassy crops. It's commonly called silage. Yes grain corn is part of the feed mix, but they certainly don't eat mostly grain. With corn at $7 a bushel last year all dairy products would have been luxury items if they were fed mostly grain.

Re:Why?

[ShanghaiBill]

So far nobody has found a way to ferment chickens and turn them into alcohol.

Not alcohol, but we can make biodiesel from chicken feathers.

Re: Why?

[will_die]

Having been in poor native housing in Mexico, part of Africa and the Middle East that is false. Eggs are amoung the most common items you will eat. For the few places that were able to purchase items they are cheap and last without refrigeration. For those that did not chicken are easy and cheap to raise, in the desert they require minimal water and they can find food if you let them loose on the dung pile.

Re: Why?

[MarcoAtWork]

You don't need to eat processed food AT ALL to eat a balanced plant-based diet, you can get everything you need from unprocessed foods just fine... yes, everybody going veggie will start with the processed foods for familiarity and ease of cooking, I of course did that myself, but you don't have to stay there if you don't want to.

It takes a while to retrain your tastebuds, of course, and it makes it next to impossible to eat out, this can be a deal breaker for some, but I have been eating plant-based whole foods for years and am doing just fine. It does take more planning but in general various combinations of a grain, beans, greens and veggies can give you what you need. The only thing you can't get on a purely plant-based diet is b12, and that's the only "supplement" I take, nothing else.

From my perspective the less labels one uses the better, in the end putting aside any ethical considerations (which people might or might not agree with) it is unarguably more environmental to eat lower on the food chain, so the more plant-based meals people eat the better for everybody: it is nice to see more effort being put towards simpler goals (like vegan before 6, meatless mondays, etc. etc.) to lower the impact our food has on the planet without being too black-or-white about it, this is also why I don't like the term "vegan" anymore as it has way too many judgemental overtones.

I personally eat plant-based 100% of the time, but I realize it's not for everybody (it is definitely difficult especially in the working environment where these days it seems "team lunches" are a mainstay of most jobs), this said IMHO it's not hard to lower the amount of animal and/or processed products you eat at least some of the time, and having an egg substitute that works exactly the same as "real" eggs is a good step in that direction (not to mention that folks allergic to eggs would sure be happier!).

Re: Why?

[Smauler]

Meateater here, and I absolutely agree with the above. I love vegetarian meals and dishes too (vegan is rarer, I love cheese), not every meal has to have meat. Anything that tries to emulate meat (or a different type of meat, eg. turkey ham, beef sausages) is diabolical. Spinach and ricotta is sublime (though again, not vegan obviously), and I've made decent tomato/bean/mushroom curries too (which would have been vegan without the bit of butter to fry in, which could easily be replaced).

Anyway, my point is that meat is meat and although there's nothing like a good steak, there are loads of good vegan meals everyone should be eating sometimes, and even more vegetarian meals. Fake meat should never be eaten by someone who eats meat... there's no point. If I were vegetarian or vegan, I would definitely not eat that processed crap still.

Re: Why?

[cheesybagel]

Not its worse. Its a religion.

Re: Why?

[Smauler]

They do it because they believe that abusing animals for food is unethical.

We have our own chickens, and eat their eggs. There's no abuse involved. The chickens would not exist unless we owned them and ate (most of) their eggs (we've hatched most of them ourselves). They have a decent life, completely free range in about an acre. We wouldn't grow crops on the land if we did not have chickens.

Eating their eggs is not ethically wrong in any shape or form. Eating battery farmed eggs is wrong in my opinion, and I try not to do it, ever.

Can you see the difference? I agree that abusing animals for food is unethical, but I still eat our chickens' eggs.

Re:Why?

[interkin3tic]

That's a good point. And I've heard in general that the giant industrial farms employ relatively few people. It might be a win-win-win.

Re:Why?

[bluefoxlucid]

Beyond Eggs, however, are made from ingredients that include peas, sunflower lecithin, canola, and natural gums. They’re also gluten-free and cholesterol-free. In fact, the current formula is purportedly healthier than actual eggs.

Underestimating the health value of eggs. Assuming cholesterol is bad is hilariously stupid. The yolk of the egg is the healthiest part.

Re: Why?

[bluefoxlucid]

How is it not false? No justification here. Both of you are rapidly masturbating your basal ganglia.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

You do realize there are people out there whose livers are incapable of processing animal protein, right? That eating any kind of meat or dairy will make incredibly ill? Hence the ethical/medical distinction. Are you calling them unethical for eating in such a way as to accommodate their fragile constitution? Because that's exactly what you're saying.

Re: Why?

[Smauler]

Animals are actually an incredibly ineffective way of creating nutrients. Animal farming is really only energy efficient if you also use the animals as land clearing machines and fertilizer spreading machines like people used to do before the industrial era.

Animals are actually an incredibly good way of creating nutrients in some landscapes. Sheep and goat herding on steep hills and mountains that are not suited to plant growing and harvesting have millennia old traditions for good reason. Granted, most of our meat now does not come from these areas, but there are still a lot of places where crop growing is impractical, but herds of animals are practical.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

well, what about day number 366? some vegans live longer than a year!

Re: Why?

[Evtim]

Is that so? I wonder what happens with a person if he/she grew with normal diet and was put on vegan? I am not sure this is entirely healthy...

The Dutch are the tallest nation on earth because they eat very protein rich stuff [diary products]. That was on the news not so long ago...and you know what - funny but taller people are more successful in life. It's probably due to cognitive bias, the same one that makes people forgive the trespasses of beautiful people more readily that those of ugly people. So there is something in us that values height and perhaps it is connected via something like [illustration only example] "tall person - has access to protein rich food - good mate".
Also funny that all vegetarians I know [not even vegans] are on average not very tall or wide and honestly will have a difficulty to compete with meat eaters if we were in the "kill or be killed" situation.

So, as the food supplies begin to dwindle [they will eventually as will everything in a finite system with infinite growing demand] we will see more and more propaganda to switch to "eco food" like insects, microorganisms ans so on. It totally amazes me when people nonchalantly say "well, if we want to feed the ever growing population we will have to switch the menu" and no no one says "why are we so stupid to continue our infinite growth".

So 3 billion meat eaters on earth or 6 billion vegetarians or 10 billion vegans or 20 billion fungi eaters [numbers purely for illustration] - why one is "better" than the other? The impact on the eco system would be the same. Actually more because those 20 billion might still want heating, clothing and mobile phones...
I think however, that one IS better than the rest - namely the largest number possible that gives everyone the richest and healthiest diet possible in a sustainable manner, according to who we are.

Who are we? We are omnivorous and without meat we won't be even here. I will not go into details, since my knowledge is not professional but I have heard many times that meat eating [also very important - fish eating] gave us the spare energy to grow the brains that made us human. Cooking the food was the next revolution. With more concentrated source of food you need less of digestive system so you can shrink it while expanding other parts of the body. I see in my mouth the cutters of the rabbit, the canines of the tiger and the molars of the cow. And I ain't going to argue with 4 billion years of evolution and will oppose those who not only fight it but do it for the wrong reasons.

In conclusion I would rephrase the OP. "Forcing or manipulating people or society to not be omnivorous [as we want, please, are entitled to and, if you are religious, were made to be] is dangerous, useless and often stupid and could be therefore be called unethical".

Re: Why?

[jonadab]

Yes, but could you have a vegan Full English Breakfast?

Re: Why?

[knightghost]

You're using a 1 in a Million argument. Logic Fallacy.

Re: Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Fake meat should never be eaten by someone who eats meat... there's no point.
 
Sure there is and I'll tell you that most people who eat meat substitutes aren't vegetarians, they're people with medical problems who need to cut back on meats due to things like cholesterol and allergies. Do you honestly think everyone with a pack of Boca burgers is a vegetarian? Come on now, get real.
 
  If I were vegetarian or vegan, I would definitely not eat that processed crap still.
 
Funny coming from someone who admits to eating cheeses like it's going out of style. I'm afraid that you're fooling yourself by thinking what you're getting from a cheese package is any less processed than your average veggie burger. The only way you're getting the real deal (in America) is if you're getting it direct from the producer. You may be but I'm giving that less than a 1% chance. The market really just isn't there anymore as it's outrageously expensive to produce "pure" dairy foods given the self life of dairy based products. Even the stuff in your local market with the word "natural" in the product name is mostly processed. If you're very lucky they may still be using natural rennet but even that is an expensive step to take given the American diet.

Re: Why?

[rogoshen1]

because 'cholesterol' in food being bad is similarly rooted in outdated 1950's thinking that doesn't hold up. Fun fact: your brain is basically made out of the stuff. Fun fact 2: nearly every cell in your body is capable of making it. why would you assume A) it's bad B) your dietary intake somehow magically appears in your arteries?

Re: Why?

[Guppy]

It would also provide an egg-free option for those of us who are allergic to eggs.

Being mildly allergic to eggs, this was my first thought.

Although, it doesn't look like this product is capable of mimicking foods containing macro amounts of egg -- it's intended to function in products where a tiny amount is used for the special mechanical properties that eggs have (which is still a great accomplishment, since that covers quite a large range of foods out there).

Re: Why?

[drinkypoo]

If you had the option of choosing eggs which didn't result in harm to animals, would you, assuming that the eggs are identical, and the price was the same?

Sure. The eggs won't ever be identical, at least, not within my lifetime. Contamination issues aside, eggs are pretty much perfect.

Re: Why?

[TheCarp]

Really? And aside from them telling you their choice and their feelings, have you ever actually run across a vegetarian or vegan who actually tried to convince you to adopt their worldview? I have known a number of them, and not a one has actually tried. The most they have done is... informed me when trying to order food or when offering to cook for them, that they don't eat meat.

In fact, I can't recall the last vegan or vegetarian who even bothered to expound upon why they don't eat meat, other than that they don't.

I mean, I am sure that there are some out there, there are always a few, but, I would have trouble believing its more than mid ro low single digit percentages.

Re: Why?

[Smauler]

My point was that actual vegetable meals taste a whole load better than quasi meat. I don't know why anyone would want to eat a poor substitute for something else, rather than other really good tasting things.

I'm from the UK, by the way, and yes I do eat some mass produced cheese. I also eat lots of cheese that isn't mass produced. Cheshire and Lancashire cheeses are a couple I buy regularly. Interestingly, in the "massively regulated" system we have here, we have quite a lot of unpasteurised cheese available for sale, as well as milk. We have Cheese Freedom!

Re: Why?

[cheesybagel]

I bet there are more people who are allergic to beans than to consuming animal protein.

Re: Why?

[mrmeval]

"I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long."
--brownkitty aka Morgen Kirby

Re: Why?

[bane2571]

Because according to the article the fake egges are cheaper to produce, healthier and actually taste better. Now that all may be marketing BS for a new product but if true is a perfect justification for the things to me.

Also, egg allergy is a thing so if you are manufacturing the eggs you might even be able to do something to remove the allergenic portion, which would be nice.

Re: Why?

[lars_stefan_axelsson]

Kind of reminds me of the country side of my family complaining about city folk who move out their way. "First they move outside the city, then they complain about the smell of cow shit, where did they think they were moving?"

Well, there's that. On the other hand agriculture has changed dramatically in my lifetime. When I was a wee lad much of my family where small hold farmers with a dozen-twenty cows etc. That's all gone. Today it's mega farms that are in many cases owned, not by the farmers themselves, but by agriculture corporations. Feed lots have replaced pastures etc. Now it's not as bad here as it is in some places I've seen in the US. Not yet at least. But there's a large difference of scale especially on the local surroundings between running a small farm with ten pigs you can scratch behind the ears when the inclination strikes you, and a 1000 pig industrial farm. That place can stink up the entire countryside like you wouldn't belive...

Re: Why?

[lars_stefan_axelsson]

Well yeah, I'm in Sweden, and we have so much fresh water that we just let the surplus run straight out into the ocean. And you know what. There's not a lot stopping diverting a bit of that water to raising animals and then let it out into the ocean (having been used for fertilisation first of course, yes agg runoff into our water ways is an environmental problem, but that's almost all industrial fertiliser, not cow piss).

So by that token, there's no problem. (Hint there are problems, but that isn't one of them). It's not as if we could build a pipe line and ship our excess water to Africa where it would be put to better use...

Re: Why?

[Reziac]

[eyeing Bozeangeles]

Totally with ya there.

A few areas now have ag-protective laws (ie. if you move in next door to an ag operation, you have no right to complain about it) but they are unfortunately in the minority.

About 25 years ago there was a study that found about half the best cropland had already been eaten up by suburban sprawl. And people complain about the price of food??

Re: Why?

[RockDoctor]

Ignoring that we are omnivores is unethical. Vegan is just a large fad clique based on marketing over science.

They chose to do it to themselves. So it's not really your place to decide if it's ethical or not. Or are you one of those people who serenade the midnight bedrooms of teenage boys with "Every Sperm is Sacred"?

You might have a point if you were talking about vegan parents pushing their children to being vegan too. Enjoy making that case in court, because you'll probably have to argue against (for example) faith healing and religious indoctrination too. I doubt that you'd live to see the case in court.

Re: Why?

[sharknado]

I was referring to the 99.9% who eat mass produced eggs :) But your point is valid.

Technically correct.

[msauve]

"Mayo is usually made with eggs and vinegar."

Well, yea, but it's at least 65% oil.

Re:Technically correct.

[dreamchaser]

That's because the ingredients are eggs and oil, not eggs and vinegar. Vinegar or another acid like lemon juice are a minor and optional ingredient.

Re:Technically correct.

[Sique]

Yes, science is so hard.

Actually, mayonnaise an emulsion of vinegar and an acid like citric acid or vinegar. As emulgator, the lecithine from egg yolks is used. Additionally, moustard can be used as emulgator.

Re:Technically correct.

[PopeRatzo]

Additionally, moustard can be used as emulgator.

But if you're vegan, you don't want anything with mouse in it.

Re:Technically correct.

[Sique]

Sorry, messing up the french moutarde and the english mustard. Both means the same. No wonder when talking about a french sauce with a french name :)

Re:Technically correct.

[omnichad]

an emulsion of vinegar and...vinegar.

Indeed, science is hard. The emulsion is between egg yolks and oil. The acid plays a small part, mostly in flavor and extra water content.

Re:Technically correct.

[Lumpy]

Wierd. My mayo is from eggs, oil and lemon juice. Vinegar? Eeew that has to taste nasty.

Re:Technically correct.

[Sique]

Sorry, mistype. The emulsion consists of oil and acid disolved in water. The emulgator is lecithine from egg yolk.

Re:Technically correct.

[Immerman]

Depends on the vinegar. I'll actually sometimes mix a large amount of balsamic vinegar into mayo for a delicious creamy sandwich spread... though the flavor no longer much resembles mayo.

Ingrediants

[koan]

This what I found for their "Just Mayo" product.
http://healthimpactnews.com/wp...

Original site.
http://healthimpactnews.com/20...

Re:Ingrediants

[ledow]

It's flavoured rapeseed oil, then.

Lovely.

Re:Ingrediants

[UdoKeir]

Canola was created using traditional cross-breeding techniques. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C... That this idiot with a blog doesn't know the difference between that and genetically modified organisms probably shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

That a Slashdot reader doesn't know the difference is just plain disappointing. (I must be new here etc.)

Re:Ingrediants

[MozeeToby]

How the hell do you have an egg substitute with no protein? I certainly hope that's just the recipe for the mayo product... if their egg replacement brings no protein then what is the point?

Re:Ingrediants

[gstoddart]

How the hell do you have an egg substitute with no protein?

From what I've been able to see, largely with starches.

There are vegan egg replacers, and I read the ingredients once and promptly concluded that vegans are willing to eat anything as long as it doesn't come from an animal.

I had been thinking it might be a healthy alternative to eggs, but the reality was it was just garbage that I wouldn't eat.

Re:Ingrediants

[Oligonicella]

You turn your nose up at rapeseed why?

Re:Ingrediants

[funwithBSD]

It's been raped. Virgin Olive Oil is virgin. /sarcasm

Re:Ingrediants

[ledow]

Okay, for those who don't see it.

You're trying to sell me flavoured rapeseed.

So why not... just buy rapeseed... flavour it... and not buy this product?

Substitute "egg" in your recipes for "rapeseed and flavouring". Done.

If things were that simple, and this makes things "cheaper" than just using eggs, I think we'd have done this YEARS ago (manufacturer's and home-cooks).

My guess? It doesn't taste anything close to similar to eggs, and doesn't have anywhere near the cooking properties of eggs, and can't be used in place of eggs in any place where you couldn't have always just used a flavoured oil anyway.

Re:Ingrediants

[Reziac]

http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/...

Go down a ways to where rapeseed oil is mentioned.

Re:Ingrediants

[gstoddart]

So you picked up one product out of a slew of products and decided to condemn an entire segment of the population for that one (potential) food source for being non-nutritious?

Nope, I've been a vegetarian for 14+ years, and based on extensive review of many vegan options, I've concluded some of it is complete garbage -- a lot of it is great and nutritious, but some of the things designed to stand in place for something else which relies no physical properties are pretty gross.

Specifically, in the case of the currently available egg-replacers, it isn't stuff I'd eat. It's corn starch and other garbage. No nutritional value whatsoever.

See, for many vegans, it's as much political as it is dietary ... so as long as it's not an animal product they'll use it.

Which is why they'll buy shoes which are made from various petro-chemicals which are pretty nasty, but at least it's not an animal.

Soylent Green

[NapalmV]

Why do we need to call this substance "eggs"? Anything wrong with calling it what it is? Same reason that "the industry" is pushing FDA to let them call "chocolate" about anything regardless of cocoa content?

Re:Soylent Green

[CastrTroy]

Highly agree with this. I have the same problem with things like veggie "bacon" and soy "cheese". Personally I also don't like the name almond "milk", as we should really reserve "milk" from something that comes from the mammary glands of mammals, but coconut milk has been called milk for a long time, so I guess we should let that slide a bit. I think that vegetarian food can taste really good, but not usually when they are trying to make it resemble meat. Similarly these food substitutes should not be able to equate themselves with something they definitely aren't.

Re:Soylent Green

[mattack2]

I largely agree with this, except that these fake eggs (based on TV segments I've seen on them) are being done for the cooking properties of eggs, not the "fake scrambled egg" thing.

Heck, if we can get something vaguely like a chocolate chip cookie that has way fewer calories, I'm all for it. (Being able to make a decent 'fake deep frying' without all of the calories would be one goal, IMHO.)

Re:Soylent Green

[CastrTroy]

In many recipes you can substitute eggs for apple sauce. Depending on the function of the eggs in the recipe, there's already many completely natural alternatives to eggs in most recipes.

Author needs a biology and/or farming lesson

[Anonymous Coward]

"will make our taste for developing embryos obsolete".

The author seems to be under the impression that we are eating - en masse - fertilized eggs.

Of course, this isn't the case at all.

Your garden-variety egg (more than 99,99+% of what is sold commercially) has been produced by a hen that probably has never even been near a rooster.

it will fail

[slashmydots]

When global warming fucks up the world's food supply, California hippies are going to have to get a clue and start eating animals and their delicious eggs whenever they're available.

Re:it will fail

[Chris Mattern]

Actually, in case of famine, meat's generally the first thing to go. Meat is expensive, vegetables are cheap.

Re:it will fail

[Oligonicella]

Like milo and sorghum?

Re:it will fail

[sjames]

Meat produced the modern way can be expensive compared to vegetables. At one time the benefit of raised meat was that cattle could graze in places that would only grow grasses too tough and unpalatable for human consumption.

Re:it will fail

[Reziac]

It still is. You need only look around the American west, where millions of acres lack either water or soil or terrain suitable for crops, but nonetheless support cattle quite well.

Re:Why? RTFA

[retroworks]

Carbon produced in food production is apparently greater than carbon produced in consumer transportation like cars. The non-egg food product is aimed at one of the most costly food production consumers, henhouses. The interest, and active investment, of Bill Gates, Li Ka-shing and Vinod Khosla indicates they RTFA.

How Egg-citing!

[Idou]

Sorry, there has to be a thread devoted to this . . .

-What kind of egg-head does it to take to create fake eggs, anyway?
-If this does not succeed, it will be fake egg on his face . . .
-Whenever I crack an egg, I will imagine I am hearing the sound "Li Ka-shing" for the rest of my life . . .
-He has got some huge juevos (but I bet they are fake. . .).
-The 3rd picture in the article looks like an eggman is eating another egg (a form of egg cannablism)

Add your own below!

Re:How Egg-citing!

[turgid]

Eggsasperating!

Whenever I crack an egg, I will imagine I am hearing the sound "Li Ka-shing" for the rest of my life . . .

That's the sound of his cash-register while he's Ka-shing in on his new enterprise...

Lecithin to Soy Lecithin

[PerlPunk]

Soy lecithin is a good example of how plant-based replacements for eggs can succeed.

So what are these fake eggs actually made of?

[Somebody Is Using My]

Because it doesn't give any specifics in TFA, or int the article linked in TFA. Are they soy-based? Yeast? Cloned-meat that exists in a semi-alive state? Some sort of toxic mix of petrochemicals? I have no idea.

The fact that the articles seem to go out of their way not to bring this sort of thing to our attention seems a bit telling. Just telling me that "they're eggs, but better!" does not encourage me to eat them. If anything, given how frequently corporations use deceit and distraction, this absence of fact just makes me want to avoid them all the more.

Re:So what are these fake eggs actually made of?

[mhansen444]

From https://hamptoncreekfoods.com/justmayo/:

INGREDIENTS: Non-GMO Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Filtered Water, Lemon Juice, White Vinegar, 2% or less of the following: Organic Sugar, Salt, Apple Cider Vinegar, Pea Protein, Spices, Garlic, Modified Food Starch, Beta-Carotene.

Relatively benign if you ask me. The key for the emulsification seems to be the pea protein.

Eggs are good for us

[judoguy]

For those of us who eat dead animals, eggs are health food. I eat 5-6 eggs a day for breakfast. Sometimes more later when I'm feeling lazy. I lost 40lbs and my cholesterol panels went form heart-attack-soon to teen age athlete levels.

All this stupid "Don't eat eggs or fat" bullshit is literally killing us.

Re:Eggs are good for us

[Derek Pomery]

Related:
http://healthland.time.com/201...

Lustig in his "Sugar, the Bitter Truth" youtube video claims the whole fat-is-evil thing started out based on a flawed study (one that failed to separate variables, and shaped an anti-fat public policy.

Food without fat tastes like cardboard, so Lustig says producers responded by cranking up the sugar. I'm sure the subsidising of corn and sugar didn't help. And certainly they are cheaper. But now they could argue their food was healthier "low fat" instead of having the bad mojo of it being made of cheaper lower quality ingredients.

Re:Eggs are good for us

[chaotixx]

Technically, eggs would be unborn animals.

Re:Eggs are good for us

[BradleyAndersen]

Um, no ...

Re:Eggs are good for us

[AthanasiusKircher]

All this stupid "Don't eat eggs or fat" bullshit is literally killing us.

Yeah, the eggs this is particularly ridiculous. Every year or so, there's always still some study coming out trying to make eggs out to be the most evil thing ever.

Here's the deal: eggs have cholesterol. They have it in a more concentrated form than other foods. Some lunatic half a century ago who realized that cholesterol might have some relationship to circulatory system and heart problems decided that the way to lower blood cholesterol would be to ingest less cholesterol.

Perhaps this seems like common sense. But the fact is your body itself produces much more cholesterol to function than most people would ever ingest -- generally about 3 or 4 times as much. For healthy people, ingesting more dietary cholesterol just causes their body to produce less, so your body naturally regulates the blood cholesterol to keep the level constant. So even if you believe that blood cholesterol levels by themselves are a great predictor of health problems (and there are serious reasons to doubt the current statins craze to lower it no matter what), what you need to fix is making your body make less cholesterol, not avoiding eggs.

Researchers have known this for many decades. Yet for some bizarre reason, everyone still thinks that dietary cholesterol regulation should be a high priority for health. While some people might have a small sensitivity to dietary cholesterol intake, it seems only to be a minority of people. And I really don't get why so many researchers are so dead set to prove eggs are evil.

Re:Eggs are good for us

[timeOday]

everyone still thinks that dietary cholesterol regulation should be a high priority for health.

Well, they may still talk that way, but the prevalent treatment strategy has clearly shifted to drugs: "Nearly one in four adults age 45 and over already take pills like Lipitor and Zocor to manage their cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease." cite

Re:Eggs are good for us

[Derek Pomery]

Great. Same goal, more side effects. Also, the drugs are usually prescribed along with dietary changes.

Re:Eggs are good for us

[sjames]

Too bad the evidence is showing statins to be useless for actually reducing heart disease.

Apparently they are failing to treat the disease by suppressing it's symptoms.

Re:Eggs are good for us

[Derek Pomery]

On that subject, I was amused that a dozen eggs for sale in the store were labeled "from vegetarian chickens!"

Translation. We aren't about to let our chickens free-range for bugs and such, so our chickens are fed a 100% vegetarian corn diet in their lil' cages.

Re:Eggs are good for us

[Reziac]

I predict an increase in neurological disorders and certain cancers as a result of widespread use of statins. See, much of the protective mechanism of your body, including the 'insulation' on nerves and the barrier structure of cell walls, are formed largely of cholesterol...

Turns out high cholesterol is actually protective in the elderly. Hmm...

Lots and lots of cites in the blog entries at \http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/

all of which is just basic biochemistry.

So close, yet so far...

[RivenAleem]

Why can't he be called Li Ka-ching?

PETA!!

[Oligonicella]

People Eating Tasty Animals. - Sorry, had to.

China actually pioneered "Fake Egg" technology....

[Ellis D. Tripp]

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Cellular 3D Printing could solve both

[korthof]

3D Print eggs. Less environmental impact, and no fake replacement. Cellularly identical to the real thing.

Fine Tuning Eggs?

[BoRegardless]

You mean like adding all sorts of bacteriocides, fungicides and other preservatives to make sure they last 52 weeks in warehouses & on the shelves?

Meanwhile, the rise in synthetic chemicals affecting fetuses and children in their early years starts showing more coorelations.

Re:significant contributor

[Oligonicella]

And when it doesn't, you'll still be on the sidelines waving your hands, shouting and pretending to be morally superior.

Re:significant contributor

[Ziggitz]

Even if you aren't a vegan and don't care about the environment it makes great economic sense. Animal protein is expensive and wasteful to produce. If a vegan option can mimic what is a fairly plain tasting foodstuff, then the cost savings on a lot of dishes and processed foods would be huge.

Stupid summary

[daem0n1x]

Another unreadable summary. Dice, please hire editors that have a clue!

superior product

[user555]

The main market isn't vegans and environmentalists. It's large scale producers of baked goods e.g. restaurants, cafeterias, and manufacturers. The goal is to create a product that's superior to eggs. Its advantages are:

* does not require refrigeration
* longer shelf life
* no cholesterol
* consumable by those with egg allergies

Imagine you're Nabisco or a University cafeteria. Assuming that you can make cookies that taste identical to those made with eggs why wouldn't you make the switch?

You could save money and increase sales by adding the phrase 'cholesterol free' to the packaging.

Isn't this the plot to a yahoo serious movie?

[DeTech]

Isn't this the plot to a yahoo serious movie? "Mr. accident" or something like that?

Mockolate

[VAXcat]

This reminds me of the Friends episode where Monica has to make recipes for a chocloate substitute - Mockolate.

misconceptions

[Zurd3]

Not all vegans choose thise lifestyle just because they want to save animals. That's just a bonus. The truth is because it's an healthier choice for your body (source: Uprooting the leading cause of death). For everyone who think eggs is good for the body should go watch the video of Michael Greger. Eggs have too much cholesterol and satured fat. Even 3 a week is too much. The US government has agreed to not call them "safe" or even "healthy". This new egg industry is an awesome idea which will clearly be very succesful.

Re:misconceptions

[rubycodez]

rubbish, not a mainstream scientific view but cult nonsense.

the British Heart Foundation was the body that in 2007 put out a flawed study suggesting egg consumption should be limited. but they have since retracted that nonsense in light of proper science which shows unlimited egg consumption is fine for most individuals. No correlation between egg consumption and heart disease risk. Saturated fat, on the other hand, is a huge factor (and eggs contain very low levels of saturated fat)

Re:misconceptions

[Zurd3]

Even more rubbish. You clearly did not see Michael's Greger video like I said. He cite all the studies in every video he post. This is mainstream science, however it is too recent to be mainstream (most are 2009 to 2012) so I understand why people are not aware of it yet. The media is slow to pick up these facts. Please, spend a few minutes to do a search for "eggs" on his website www.nutritionfacts.org trust me you will be amazed to what you find. Don't forget to click the "Sources cited" too! Here's a good one for you to start: http://nutritionfacts.org/vide...

Private property is a byproduct of government

[Dareth]

Private property is a byproduct of government. We need the advantages of both personal freedom and organized society.

French's is American!

[Dareth]

French's is American! It is the best thing ever with a good ole American hot dog!

Mayo is usually made with eggs and vinegar?

[peterofoz]

Mayo is usually made with eggs and oil (and perhaps a drop or two of vinegar).

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Unless you're out to catch fruit flies, then use apple vinegar.

Remember my grandma's saying: "Miracle Whip ruined the dip"

A shot of (apple cider or balsamic) vinegar in the morning will kill excess yeasts in your digestive (which may be causing your allergies).

Sugary foods will feed the yeast (perhaps making you tired)

White vinegar is also great for cleaning stuff. Like laundry stains, bathrooms, or calcium buildup on the shower head.

Don't Panic. Just carry on.

Re:Mayo is usually made with eggs and vinegar?

[DeTech]

A shot of (apple cider or balsamic) vinegar in the morning will kill excess yeasts in your digestive (which may be causing your allergies).

Yeasties that can survive tummy acid, but not a bit a vinegar... please do tell me more

Re:Mayo is usually made with eggs and vinegar?

[sjames]

Hopefully there's no stomach acid on your tongue or in your throat.

Re:Mayo is usually made with eggs and vinegar?

[DeTech]

With you on that one, but hopefully the OP uses a toothbrush to sort those microbes out.

Re:Mayo is usually made with eggs and vinegar?

[sjames]

In his throat? I start gagging if the brush goes back too far on my tongue. If I brush my throat, there will be stomach acid there :-)

Vega

[bbsalem]

Vegans might really like fake eggs because their star Vega, Alpha Lyrae, is egg shaped. The spectral class A, White star is about 30 times brighter than the sun, 35 LY away, and spins so fast that its body is distorted into an ellipsoid. and because of that its equator might shine less bright than its poles, so beings from that star system would recognize eggs even though an egg is not strictly shaped like an ellipsoid. There probably aren't Vegans, however, unless they came from somewhere else, as the star may be too young for life to evolve. A star which has been demonstrated to have polar brightening due to spin is the B-class main-sequence star Regulus, Alpha Leonis, 78 LY off. There are several news notes in Sky and Telescope from the past 20 years that document there findings.

A modest proposal

[CmdrTamale]

A vegan's eggs are too small and too hard to harvest.
A vegan might make good eating, though. All that vegetable goodness.

As they say, vegetables are what food eats.
--
It's the voices I hear in YOUR head that really frighten me.

Already been done

[gronofer]

At least one plant-based egg substitute already exists, see Orgran. However I think that one is intended for use in baking and mayonnaise etc., and not for making scrambled eggs.

look at the label

[niftymitch]

The nutrition label says zero protein.
The ingredients has "pea protein".
      https://hamptoncreekfoods.com/...
It is just gooified Canola oil and sadly canola oil has its own
tangle of nutritional issues. Today we would just make it
with GMO technology and skip the decades of cross breeding.
And yes I have canola oil in my kitchen.