This Plant-Based Product Has Saved the Equivalent of 1 Million Eggs
Can baking save animals? Egg alternative brand OGGS is proving that it can, reporting that it has helped save more than one million chicken eggs since its retail debut 18 months ago. The company claims that the chickpea brine egg alternative (also known as aquafaba) used in its cake ranges has managed to save exactly 1,026,688 chicken eggs as well as 226 metric tons of carbon dioxide to date. The startup is focused on increasing the number of consumers who purchase plant-based products and draw attention to the environmental impact that animal egg farming causes.
“OGGS is committed to finding ways to remove unnecessary and often hidden animal products from the food chain. To do this we are starting by making eggless cooking and baking accessible to as many people as possible,” OGGS founder Hannah Carter said. “This is a change for home bakers, caterers, and large-scale manufacturers by swapping eggs for a plant-based liquid egg alternative: aquafaba. So far, we’ve been successful in giving 177,942 chickens a week’s holiday. We realized if we want the big manufacturers to stop using barn eggs in their products, we need to provide a cost-efficient, bulk solution that provides consistent and stable results.”
OGGS entered the market last year with its first product: The OGGS Egg Alternative Aquafaba. Initially, the company only stocked the shelves of three major retailers across the UK but has continued to experience steady growth as demand has risen. The aquafaba egg is designed to whisk and emulsify like a conventional chicken egg. The product is sold in 200ml cartons, matching the equivalent of four eggs. The company also developed pre-made cakes, cupcakes, brownies, caramel squares, and mince pies, all of which use OGGS aquafaba eggs, showing the potential of the egg alternative.
In 2015, software engineer Goose Wohlt devised a method to have chickpea brine mirror egg whites. Wohlt coined the term aquafaba, and since then the ingredient has soared in popularity. Food manufacturers and cooks have experimented with products and recipes globally to create plant-based alternatives that previously required conventional eggs.
The first brand to incorporate aquafaba in its product range was Sir Kensignton’s in 2016. The company released a vegan mayonnaise that became available in Whole Food Markets nationwide. Aquafaba is steadily growing in popularity with multiple companies and start-ups experimenting with replacing eggs, including Brooklyn-based Fora Foods that released a Faba Butter in 2018.
Aquafaba’s gaining trendiness showcases consumer interest in ditching conventional eggs. The chickpea brine is joined by a number of other egg substitutes. From silken tofu to avocado, here are all the best egg alternatives for baking and what to use them for. Leading plant-based scramble JUST Egg recently sold the equivalent of 100 million eggs over the last three years.
The growing alternative egg retail presence signals that consumers are shifting towards a more sustainable egg and that substitutes like the mung-bean-based JUST Egg or the chickpea brine aquafaba OGGS will become more and more accessible to consumers globally.