Ventura Foods® Brings Innovation to Foodservice Mayonnaise

Category leader introduces MayoNeeds™ Framework to industry

Today Ventura Foods®, the trusted foodservice partner for culinary professionals, introduced its new MayoNeeds™ Framework. This innovative approach eliminates confusion within the mayonnaise category by aligning specific mayonnaise formulations with specific culinary applications to meet the distinct needs of chefs and operators.

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The MayoNeeds™ Framework by Ventura Foods eliminates confusion within the mayonnaise category by aligning specific mayonnaise formulations with specific culinary applications to meet the distinct needs of chefs and operators.

A New Way to Look at Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is a staple in commercial kitchens, appearing on nearly half of restaurant menus. Yet many operators, under pressure to manage back-of-house expenses and customer satisfaction, don’t have time to really consider this critical ingredient when placing weekly orders. Additionally, the mayonnaise category lacks standard labeling definitions and uses marketing terms like “Heavy Duty,” “Premium,” and “Extra Heavy,” causing added confusion. As a result, chefs and operators often default to using the same foodservice-grade mayonnaise for all their hot and cold applications, assuming it will perform consistently and unknowingly sacrificing product quality in the process.

Ventura Foods is solving this problem with its new MayoNeeds™ Framework, which is designed to create clarity in the category. With its deep expertise in culinary solutions, Ventura Foods developed a new way to look at mayonnaise, not by ingredients and formulations, but by culinary applications.

“Even though this ubiquitous ingredient is integral to recipes across cuisines and menus, most chefs and operators reorder the same mayo regularly without much consideration. We want them to understand that the current labels, like Heavy Duty, are actually meaningless and consider how a mayonnaise developed for specific uses can elevate a signature dish without increasing costs,” says Ahmad Popal, Senior Vice President, Food Innovation & Customer Experience at Ventura Foods.

To ensure the MayoNeeds™ Framework accurately reflects real-world kitchen needs, Ventura Foods collaborated with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to conduct a blind study evaluating the performance of various foodservice mayonnaise products labeled as “Heavy Duty.” The findings revealed inconsistencies in how these products performed across mixed, bound and dippable applications, underscoring the need for clarity in the mayonnaise category.

“We confirmed that not all ‘Heavy Duty’ mayos are the same and that chefs can often improve the quality of a dish by choosing a mayonnaise formulated for a specific application, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all mayonnaise,” says David Kamen, Director - Client Engagement, Consulting at The Culinary Institute of America. “The lack of standards in mayo labeling creates confusion for chefs who rely on an essential ingredient that can make or break texture, taste, and the overall impression of the dish.”

Ventura Foods is rolling out the MayoNeeds™ Framework through partnerships with foodservice leaders in various channels and encouraging them to enhance and streamline their existing mayonnaise portfolios through application-based formulations and labeling as well as education. Chefs and operators can learn more by visiting VenturaFoods.com/MayoNeeds.

About Ventura Foods

Ventura Foods is a leading producer of exclusive products, ready-to-go solutions, and consumer brands in the dressings, sauces, mayonnaises, shortenings, and oils categories. Its customers include foodservice companies, restaurants, and retailers in over 70 countries. A privately held joint venture of CHS, Inc. and Mitsui & Co., Ventura Foods manufactures products in the US, Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines. For more information, visit venturafoods.com.

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“We confirmed that not all ‘Heavy Duty’ mayos are the same and that chefs can often improve the quality of a dish by choosing a mayonnaise formulated for a specific application,” says David Kamen of The Culinary Institute of America.