The FDA Targets Vegan Mayonnaise

The FDA Targets Vegan Mayonnaise - Hit & Run : Reason.com:
"Once again proving itself more national busybody than necessary defender of consumer safety, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down on potentially misleading mayonnaise labeling.
Specifically, the agency objects to Hampton Creek vegan mayonnaise, a condiment that mimics traditional mayonnaise without using egg yolks.
In a warning letter sent to Hampton Creek earlier this month, the FDA noted several "significant violations" of federal regulations.
The first complaint is that Hampton Creek uses the term "cholesterol free" on the label of its "Just Mayo" products.
Nevermind that Just Mayo is, indeed, a cholesterol-free food.
While the FDA allows foods with up to two milligrams of cholesterol per serving to bear claims that they're free of cholesterol, this statement is forbidden on products "customarily consumed" in small amounts if they a) have more than 13 grams of fat per 50 grams and b) fail to "disclose the level of total fat in a serving of the product in immediate proximity to the cholesterol claim."
The FDA also claims Hampton Creek's Just Mayo and Just Mayo Siracha are "misbranded" because they do not meet federal requirements for calling something mayonnaise.
Under federal law, only foods 1) containing at least 65 percent vegetable oil, 2)vinegar and/or lemon juice, and 3) some sort of egg-yolk product may be labeled mayonnaise.
It can also contain preservatives, salt, sweeteners, spices, flavoring, and monosodium glutamate, but only "provided it does not impart to the mayonnaise a color simulating the color imparted by egg yolk."
Any other ingredients are forbidden.
Want to sell mayonnaise with an egg substitute, lime juice, or slightly less vegetable oil?
Too bad—the FDA does not think the market can handle such ingredient chaos...