One manufacturer has run into legal trouble with Hellmann's due to the way it markets its "Just Mayo" product. The stripped-down, basic labels used by this company, Hampton Creek, weren't enough to distinguish the product from a major competitor. A Primera LX900 color label printer has features that will allow any company to avoid this confusion by making the images on the labels speak for themselves.
The New York Times reported on the controversy, noting that the parent company of Hellmann's, Unilever, believes the simple Just Mayo label contradicts important regulations regarding mayonnaise ingredients.
Specifically, an officially recognized mayonnaise will not contain eggs, but Unilever claims that the Just Mayo labels, which show an egg rendered through a cutout against the jar, wrongly suggest otherwise. In its defense, Hampton Creek has asserted that its product is "mayo," which uses yellow peas instead of eggs, and that it openly references the lack of eggs in its product.
The Wall Street Journal features comments from the Unilever lawsuit, which has drawn some criticism from those who feel the company is unfairly targeting the much smaller Hampton Creek.
"The Just Mayo false name is part of a larger campaign and pattern of unfair competition by Hampton Creek to falsely promote Just Mayo spread as tasting better than, and being superior to, Best Foods and Hellmann's mayonnaise," the statement reads.
Companies should work with a professional color label printing solution that gives them several options to create and display information to the consumer. The Primera LX900 is just one possible choice for businesses in need of vibrant and accurate labels for their brand that sum up everything the consumer needs to know in an attractive arrangement.