The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that some of Hampton Creek's Just Mayo products violate regulations related to mayonnaise standards and labelling.
The FDA said in a warning letter to the company that it is misbranding some of its products.
In a letter, dated 12 August, the FDA wrote: "The use of the term 'mayo' in the product names, and the image of an egg, may be misleading to consumers, because it may lead them to believe that the products are the standardised food, mayonnaise.
"These products do not conform to the standard for mayonnaise."
"The use of the term 'Just' together with 'Mayo' reinforces the impression that the products are real mayonnaise by suggesting that they are 'all mayonnaise' or 'nothing but' mayonnaise.
"We also note that these products contain additional ingredients that are not permitted by the standard, such as modified food starch, pea protein, and beta-carotene, which may be used to impart colour simulating egg yolk. Therefore, these products do not conform to the standard for mayonnaise."
The vegan mayonnaise producer was sued by Unilever in November last year for misleading its customers by calling its Just Mayo eggless product mayonnaise. The company's lawyers said in its lawsuit that Just Mayo products had hit the demand for Unilever's Hellmann's mayo, causing damage.
The agency also said that both Just Mayo and Just Mayo Sriracha contained too much fat to be considered heart-healthy food.
