Executive summary: While replacing processed eggs with plant-based ingredients has large potential benefits given 8.3 billion laying hens globally, starting a new organization focused on this is not recommended as the Lever Foundation is already working in the most promising market (US), and it’s unclear if a new organization would meet cost-effectiveness targets; however, experimenting with allergy-motivated pressure campaigns through existing allergy organizations could be valuable.
Key points:
Cost-effectiveness analysis shows working with producers in the US could achieve 64.1% of AIM’s impact bar, but with high uncertainty around scaling assumptions.
Key barriers are not technical but motivational—companies need economic incentives or public pressure to replace eggs, as they are already aware of alternatives.
Medium-sized producers (handling 7-35M eggs/year) are optimal targets, as large multinationals have economies of scale making egg replacement less appealing.
Success requires both sales/outreach capabilities and food science expertise; pressure campaigns need legitimacy through existing allergy organizations rather than animal welfare groups.
The field is very neglected, with only Vegan-Friendly and Lever Foundation actively working on it, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars so far.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: While replacing processed eggs with plant-based ingredients has large potential benefits given 8.3 billion laying hens globally, starting a new organization focused on this is not recommended as the Lever Foundation is already working in the most promising market (US), and it’s unclear if a new organization would meet cost-effectiveness targets; however, experimenting with allergy-motivated pressure campaigns through existing allergy organizations could be valuable.
Key points:
Cost-effectiveness analysis shows working with producers in the US could achieve 64.1% of AIM’s impact bar, but with high uncertainty around scaling assumptions.
Key barriers are not technical but motivational—companies need economic incentives or public pressure to replace eggs, as they are already aware of alternatives.
Medium-sized producers (handling 7-35M eggs/year) are optimal targets, as large multinationals have economies of scale making egg replacement less appealing.
Success requires both sales/outreach capabilities and food science expertise; pressure campaigns need legitimacy through existing allergy organizations rather than animal welfare groups.
The field is very neglected, with only Vegan-Friendly and Lever Foundation actively working on it, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars so far.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.