Are Millennials Really Killing Mayo? An Investigation

If the headlines are to be believed, then Millennials have killed chain restaurants, beer, bars of soap, cereal, diamonds, marriage, marmalade—and now mayonnaise.

Philadelphia Magazine ran a story earlier this week under the headline "How Millennials Killed Mayonnaise," and judging by the reactions, people have some pretty strong opinions about their preferred condiments, and whether or not said condiments are "literally dead," as a Millennial might say.

As evidence of the eggy mixture's untimely demise, the article's author, Sandy Hingston, cited BuzzFeed headlines outlining why mayonnaise is the "devil's condiment" and pointed to her personal experience of having to bring home potato salad and deviled eggs that went untouched at a family cookout.

Hingston went on to write that 20-somethings "would sooner get their news from an actual paper newspaper than ingest mayonnaise."

But does the data support this claim? Business Insider did some digging and discovered that mayonnaise sales are, in fact, down. In the U.S., sales fell 6.7 percent between 2012 and 2018, according to Euromonitor. To sell their products, Hellmann's and Kraft have been forced to lower mayonnaise prices, which fell 0.6 percent from the beginning of 2017 to 2018. And, Millennials tend to get blamed when sales numbers tank in particular industries because, as of 2018, they are the largest generation alive and also account for the most spending power.

According to Hingston, Millennials' distaste for mayo could be because it jiggles, it looks like a gross bodily fluid, and it seems like "a boring white food," as opposed to something more exotic, like aioli (mayonnaise with garlic). Also worth noting, though, is the rising popularity of healthy, vegan diets, as well as the availability of egg-free "mayonnaise" products.

So, while Millennials may have "deeply wounded mayonnaise," according to Business Insider, it probably won't disappear from store shelves anytime soon. Instead, companies are getting creative and releasing new mayonnaise products, like Heinz's new Mayochup (mayonnaise and ketchup) and Real Mayonnaise, made from cage-free eggs, lemon juice, oil, and vinegar. Many supermarkets also sell garlic, herb, hot and spicy, and lime variations.

As to whether Millennials will continue on their killing spree, Jason Dorsey, who researches Millennials at the Center for Generational Kinetics, tells the BBC, "The real issue is not that Millennials are not killing industries or businesses, but businesses aren't adapting." Jeff Fromm, the president of consulting firm FutureCast, agrees: "Millennials are the canary in the coal mine regarding trends. Innovation is going to be required."