Rest in Perfection, BLT. We’ll miss you.
Many of our beloved sandwiches could become extinct as early as
2043.
Thanks to soil erosion, growing soybean crops — a key ingredient in
Hellmann’s (aka Best
Foods in parts of the US) mayonnaise — is
becoming increasingly difficult, leaving the future of beloved mayo-filled
sandwiches uncertain.
With new Edelman research on behalf of Hellmann’s revealing two-thirds of US
consumers believe that sandwiches taste better with mayonnaise and 95 percent of
Americans eat sandwiches regularly, Hellmann's is on a mission to transform the
way soybeans are grown and Save Our Sandwiches.
Hellmann's has been actively committed to helping people enjoy food, without
worry or waste; in recent years, it has become a force for positive behavior
change around household food waste through its "Make Taste Not
Waste"
campaigns — which inspire people to be more mindful about food waste and turn
their leftovers into easy, tasty
meals.
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Now, through
SaveOurSandwiches.com,
the brand aims to extend consumer conscientiousness around food to remembering
where it comes from and the importance of environmental stewardship; and from
April 17-24, sandwich lovers can join Hellmann’s mission and support their
favorite lunch staple by
“adopting” one of four
sandwich plushies designed after four ‘endangered’ sandwiches of which mayo is a
key component — the BLT, Turkey Club, Italian Sub and Egg Salad.
Image credit: Save Our Sandwiches
By adopting a sandwich, similar to how someone might sponsor or 'adopt' an
endangered species, fans can help raise awareness of regenerative-agriculture
practices needed to save the mayo that brings our sandwiches together. All
applicants will receive a digital adoption certificate and a $1 coupon for any
Hellmann’s product. Randomly selected lucky adopters will receive an Adoption
Kit — which includes one plushie sandwich, an official adoption certificate and
a bottle of Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise.
“The concept of ‘adopting’ a sandwich is a relatable way to educate and help
people understand the risk of endangerment, which is why we thought to use this
concept and invite our fans to help support their favorite mayo-centric
sandwiches and demonstrate the positive impact regenerative agriculture could
play in safeguarding the future of mayonnaise,” said Chris
Symmes, Senior Marketing Director for
Dressings at Hellmann’s parent company, Unilever — whose global regenerative-ag
efforts also extend to ingredients including tomatoes (for its Knorr
brand), mustard and mint
(Colman’s).
“We hope to see fans rallying behind the work we’re doing to preserve the taste
of mayonnaise, reduce the risk of extinction and advocate to help farmers
protect their soil — so, sandwiches can have that deliciously creamy bite of
mayo for years to come.”
Hellmann’s has started its efforts to save soy by helping Iowa soybean
farmers plant cover
crops
to reduce harm to soil and replenish it with critical nutrients; and the brand’s
commitment of $30 million over the next five years will help even more farmers
in the US and Canada embrace regenerative farming practices. Without these
types of practices, the equivalent of one soccer field of soil is lost every
five
seconds
due to erosion.
As of fall 2023, Hellmann’s has supported over 700 farmers in Iowa — resulting
in more than 142,000 acres planted with cover crops to improve soil health — and
this new commitment aims to scale this even further.
"Resource depletion, including the erosion of healthy soil, is making it more
difficult for farmers we work with to grow soybean crops that are critical to
Hellmann's mayonnaise,” said Stefani Millie
Grant, Associate Director
of External Affairs and Sustainability at Unilever North America. "Given the
importance of soybeans to Hellmann’s, we believe that we should do our part to
change this trajectory. That's why we're proud to be working with our partners
at Practical Farmers of Iowa and directly with
farmers to help them implement cover cropping and other regenerative practices —
so they can become champions in protecting the future of mayo."
Throughout April, Hellmann’s — in partnership with creative agency
VML and media agency
Mindshare — is running print and digital
out-of-home ads in Chicago and Cincinnati mourning the impending “death
date” of mayonnaise and thus,
these four mayo-centric sandwiches. Last month, Hellmann’s also created a
pop-up sandwich shop to give
unsuspecting New Yorkers a “taste of the future” without sandwiches.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Apr 18, 2024 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST