Words Mary Allen, the Good Food Institute

GFI Brazil has been working with Grupo Mantiqueira, a Brazil-based egg producer, to respond to growing consumer demand for plant-based foods. We are thrilled to share that Grupo Mantiqueira just launched their first plant-based egg product: N.Ovo.

The plant-based egg will be sold in a cardboard carton like their conventional egg products. It is made from pea starch and plant protein. N.Ovo is designed to be a one-to-one swap for eggs used in cakes, bread, and other baking.

Brazil is the 6th largest egg producer in the world, with 2,200 metric tons of eggs produced in 2016. In GFI’s recent poll of more than 900 Brazilians, 29 percent of respondents reported wanting to reduce consumption of animal products. This translates to almost sixty million people across the nation! We found broad social acceptance of reducing intake of animal products: Seventy-six percent of respondents reported a positive perception of people who are reducing the consumption of animal products.

GFI Brazil has been pioneering this data collection about consumer perceptions and the state of the Brazilian market to draw awareness to the rising demand for plant-based products. Additionally, GFI Brazil has been working closely with some of the largest meat, egg, and dairy producers to make them aware of these opportunities and support them in expanding into the plant-based market.

Amanda Pinto, the innovation manager at Grupo Mantiqueira, said, "I was born and raised in the animal protein industry and could see from the inside out that there are much more sustainable ways to feed the world. GFI has been very important to connect me with plant-based companies and show me alternative ways of producing food. I am very proud to be part of this revolution."

As the biggest egg producer in South America, Grupo Mantiqueira has a tremendous amount of trend-setting influence. We are hopeful that other egg, meat, and dairy producers follow suit, and we will continue to build partnerships to pave the way for continued innovation. We applaud Grupo Mantiqueira for this bold step towards a more sustainable food system.