Hearty & Healthy

‘Bird Flu Bailout’ Sandwiches Are All the Rage at NY Delis | Eater NY

"An Upper West Side owner, whose market is one of Plantega’s 50 partner markets pushing the plant-based egg substitute, says the shop joined a citywide rollout that on Monday, March 10 saw over 50 participating businesses start advertising a new “Bird Flu Bailout” morning menu on sandwich boards. The menu offers a plant-based take on the classic BEC using Just Egg — a pourable, foldable product sold in orange-toned cartons — as a response to a nationwide bird-flu outbreak that has caused a record number of chicken deaths and prompted forecasts that egg prices could spike up to 40 percent in 2025. Just Egg, made entirely from plants (mostly mung beans) and given its yolky hue from turmeric, is being distributed to bodegas from Yonkers down to Staten Island through a partnership between local distributor Plantega and the product’s San Francisco-based producer, Eat Just Inc., which reports a five-fold year-over-year sales growth. The shop participates in the promotion that lets customers redeem a $2 discount on Just Egg retail products when they purchase any “Bird Flu Bailout” menu item, and the owner told NY Daily News, "I honestly don’t think anyone can tell the difference." - Tierney Plumb