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20 Things You didn't Know About Impossible Foods

Meat

"What makes meat taste like meat?" That's the quest Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D. found himself on in 2011. Inspired to create a plant-based product which had the flavor, texture and appearance of meat, Patrick and his team did just that with the Impossible Burger. Today, the Impossible Burger is taking the world by storm, as investors pump funds into their coffer, to be used to craft new plant-based products. After all, plant-based meat is bacteria and virus free, and in a Coronavirus world, plant-based meats are not so much a niche product or luxury, they are a necessity.

1. The Meat they Produce Contains Zero Meat

That's right. That delicious, flavorful Impossible Burger you had while dining out with friends, was made without an ounce of meat. In fact, the Impossible Burger is sourced from plants. Everything from the meaty texture, the hearty sizzle on the griddle, to the rich, blood-like bleeding is all plant-based! Not only that, but the plant-based meats they produce, eliminate the standard processing practices which can make people ill. According to CEO/Founder Pat O. Brown, "Its protein comes entirely from plants, and it's produced without the use of hormones or antibiotics, does not create a reservoir for dangerous pathogens, and contains no cholesterol or slaughterhouse contaminants," Hence, no risk of illnesses such as bird flu, swine flu, Ebola, coronavirus or e-coli.

2. Each One of Their Products has as Much Protein as Meat

Many carnivores don't understand how vegans get their protein. Well, stop and think about it for a moment or two. Some of the toughest and strongest animals are vegan. Gorillas, elephants, rhinos, bulls, and so on, exist on a plant exclusive diet. Consider the swift, agile and alert gazelle, deer, and rabbit. All require acute senses as well as lightning quick responses in order to live another day. So, as you can see, one does not need to eat meat in order to stay lean, active and alert. Take their Impossible Burger, it has 19 grams of protein, just like regular ground beef. It also has zero cholesterol, and grams of fat. The best part, is that there are no antibiotics or animal-based hormones.

3. Their Products are a Great Source of Iron

If you're thinking about becoming plant-based, but wretch at the idea of having to eat spinach for iron, then let the Impossible Foods come to the rescue, as each burger contains 25 percent the RDA of iron. Their products are a great source of not only protein, but iron. This is due to an ingredient called "Heme", and with their products you'll always get a good helping of it in each serving. Heme is found in both plants and animals. In fact, did you know that you were making your own heme right now, as you're reading this? Impossible Foods decided to settle on the soybean plant for it's source of heme, as it contains a good amount leghemoglobin in it's root system. and 25 percent the RDA of iron.

4. Their Products Drastically Cut Down on Water Usage

Droughts are horrific to endure for those who find themselves living under those conditions. Water is such an essential part of our lives, that just the thought of not being able to have access to it frightens many to the core. In fact, did you know that it takes up to 1800 gallons of water to make just one pound of beef? Well, it's true. Farming livestock for meat is an unnecessary process that not only chews up valuable land, but also affects our water supply. By consuming more plant-based meats, such as the Impossible Burger, we can end this useless cycle of voluntary self-destruction.

5. The Impossible Burger was Made for Carnivores

At first glance,it's natural to think that its intended demographic would be the vegan or vegetarian folks. However, this delicious, hearty, and mouth watering burger was designed to titillate the taste buds of hardcore carnivores. That's right, according to their CFO, David Lee, they wanted meat eaters to be able to enjoy not only their burgers, but other meat-free product as much as those who already gave up meat. After all, the flexitarian movement is on the rise, as more and more people are conscious of the devastating effect eating meat has on the planet. Their rising numbers joining the already large group of vegans and vegetarians.

6. Tesla's Communications Director Becomes Impossible Foods Director of Communication

March 2020 saw the global communications director of Tesla, joining the Impossible Foods team as their director of communications. The person in question, Keely Sulprizio, left Tesla in December. In February 2020 she officially stepped into the role of Impossible Foods Director of Communications. According to her LinkedIn page, Kelly is seen by others as driven, dependable and responsible, which makes her a great fit for Impossible Foods and its mission, to help create a better world for all.

7. Their Meat-Free Products are Certified Kosher

Impossible Foods mission is to make this world a better place, and to reach as many consumers as they can. That not only includes the nutritional value and taste, but in order to extend it's customer base, it has to ensure that their product meets the food requirements of different cultures. As such, Impossible Foods partnered with the Orthodox Union to have their Impossible Burger certified as Kosher. According to Impossible Foods Founder and CEO, Dr. Patrick Brown, they wanted their foods to be able to be enjoyed by all, including those who have religious restrictions.

8. The Brains Behind the Impossible Foods was a Pediatrician

The founder and CEO of Impossible Foods is one Patrick O'Reilly Brown, a pediatrician. However, he soon found that he had a drive to make a difference in the world. Once he completed his pediatric residency, he opted for a life in research. After years of success in research, he began to reconsider his career, and in 2009 took an 18 month sabbatical. It was then and there that Brown realized that raising animals as a food source was a leading factor in our planets destruction, but to get people to enjoy an alternative meat product, it had to satisfy their cravings for meat. The one thing that could do this, was heme. Thus, began his new journey in utilizing heme to recreate the taste of animal meat in plant-based products.

9. Company's mission is to feed the entire world

Impossible Foods does not consider itself as just another profit guzzling company. No indeed, Impossible Foods believes that they are a movement. A movement with the goal of feeding the people of the planet all of the meat they can eat, without harming one single animal in the process. As such, they are a large part of our future in securing a healthy, vital and lively planet. After all, this earth is our home, and we've no place else to go. We must tend to her needs, protect her from damage, and be good stewards. Just by making the conscious choice to indulge in one of their meaty, flavorful burgers, you're taking part in the preservation of your future, and your children's future.

10. Bill Gates is a Top Investor

You'd be hard pressed find many people who are not familiar with the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates. Gates is a man who enjoys the process of creation and development, as well as assisting others in their time of need. When this philanthropist learned of the Impossible Burger, he immediately saw the potential for such a product, and its role in helping our planet to heal the wounds we inflicted upon her. it is said that he has personally invested approximately $75 million dollars in the company in order to assist in the development of new products, and the marketing of those products on a global scale.

11. They Employ a "Science-Based Life Cycle Assessment"

A "Science-Based, Life Cycle Assessment" or LCA is a way for Impossible Foods to show potential consumers just why they should choose their products based on their environmental benefits alone. This assists those consumers who are still sitting on the fence with regards to just how the purchase and consumption of Impossible Foods products leads to a positive effect on the environment and climate change. The LCA breaks it all down in easy to digest facts, backed up by numbers.

12. Impossible Foods Becomes Halal Certified

In an effort to extend its product line to a wider demographic, Impossible Foods received its Halal certification way back in December of 2018, from the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, or IFANGA. After their certification, they partnered with Halal Shack, which has location in California, Texas and New York. Impossible Foods believes that its crucial to reach as many people as possible in order to have a greater, positive effect on the planet, and that includes meeting the guidelines of people with strict dietary habits.

13. Asia Invests Heavily in Impossible Foods During Coronavirus Pandemic

The global pandemic caused many in the Asian countries to begin to look for a new source of protein, one that was clean and would not yield itself to bacteria or virus contamination, as meat does. This led investors to pump $500 million into Impossible Foods as a viable solution to their concerns. Companies which invested include South Korea's Mirae Asset Global Investments, Singapore's Temasek, Khosla Ventures, and Horizons Ventures, situated in Hong Kong. The issue of finding a new source for protein, one that was indistinguishable from meat in taste, texture and nutrition has driven this desire to invest. At the time of this writing, Impossible Foods is worth around $4 billion.

13. Impossible Foods Cut Wholesale Prices as Competition Ramps Up

When Pat O. Brown first established his company in 2011, there was not much in the way of competition in the alternative meat market. Today, the plant-based meat market is rife with competition with even major meat producers such as Cargill and Tyson jumping into the fray. In light of this, Impossible Foods decided to make itself more competitive by slashing it's wholesale food prices by 15 percent. This is terrific news for over 17,000 restaurants in the US, Macau, Hong Kong, and Singapore, as they'll be able to do the same for their consumers, further broadening the accessibility of Impossible Foods products.

14. Disney Corporation Partners with Impossible Foods

Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, it was basically a nose to nose race right down to the wire. Admittedly a tough choice for Disney, they elected to go with the Impossible Burger. So, in February 2020, The decision was made public, and their partnership began. For fans of the Impossible Burger, you can expect to see it served on Disney Cruise Ships, as well as their theme parks. Disney had already began to add a variety of vegan friendly offerings for their guests, and the partnership with the increasingly poopular Impossible Foods is the icing on the cake.

15. Meat Producers are Not Happy with Impossible Foods Products

In January of 2020, Impossible Foods debuted it's newest product, Impossible Pork, and the pork producers were none to thrilled. With the introduction of Impossible Pork and Impossible Sausage, rumblings began to be heard from various pork producers, but that isn't stopping CEO Pat O. Brown, who stated that "We won't stop until we eliminate the need for animals in the food chain, and make the global food system sustainable." As a result, the National Pork Producers Council attacked Impossible Foods via labeling laws. Obviously, pork producers are frightened, and rightly so. Impossible Foods creates a product which satisfies the consumers need for meat, without having to damage the planet to get it. The Impossible Burger is good for agriculture, as it requires the services of soy farmers and others to create its products.

16. Impossible Foods Chooses a Tech Show to Debut its Products

One normally doesn't consider food to be "high tech", but Impossible Food does. In fact, back in 2019 Impossible Foods decided to make it's debut at the heralded high tech show, CES, where it gave the world a good look at its Impossible Burger. This did the trick, and it most certainly garnered a good deal of positive media exposure. But why choose a tech show to introduce a food product? According to Rachel Konrad, "CES is the most high-profile showcase of the world's most significant consumer technologies. With the maelstrom of publicity and credibility, it's the obvious choice". In 2020, Impossible Foods continued its strategy, by unveiling their new product, Impossible Pork and pork sausage.

17. Impossible Burger Enters GrubHub's Top 10

GrubHub is currently the most popular app for ordering food online. So, when they posted their 2019 Year in Food Report, people stood up and took notice. The Year in Food Report takes into account the millions of orders they receive in order to gauge what food trends to observe. Surprisingly, the top 10 list was comprised of mostly plant-based offerings, such as Cauliflower Pizza and Spicy Brussels Sprouts. However, a new contender entered the race that year: The Impossible Burger. The Impossible Burger entered at number 10, with a 203 percent increase in orders, beating out other meat alternatives such as the black bean burger, tofu, mushroom burger and jackfruit.

18. An Impossible Burger Can Fuel a Workout

The products produced by Impossible Foods most definitely measure up to their hype. They are sustainable, delicious and have a comparative nutritional value to the real thing. But, what about the health conscious among us? Can the Impossible Burger, for instance, actually help you power up a workout? Melissa Hooper is a registered dietitian who owns and operates, Bite-Size Nutrition says yes. According to Melissa, "An Impossible Burger can fuel a workout...". Carbs are vital when it comes to enduring an intense workout, with plant-based protein is a crucial component in muscle-building routines. As the Impossible Burger successfully blends the two into a flavorful patty, it makes perfect sense, especially when we remember the strongest and toughest land animals got that way by eating nothing but plant-based protein, and carbs from plants.

19. Impossible Foods Does Use GMOs

Unlike Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods does utilize GMO tech in the creation of their products. In fact, according to their website, they "embraced the responsible, constructive use of genetic engineering to solve critical environmental, health, safety and food security problems... In layman's terms, Impossible Foods utilizes this technology to develop their heme from soy leghomoglobin. They then take that heme and blend it into yeast. By following this process, Impossible Foods is able to secure the heme they require, without doing damage to the environment.

20. Their Products Can Now Be Found in Select Grocery Stores

While other meat alternatives, such as Tofurkey and Beyond Meat, have been available in grocery stores for some time, fans of the Impossible Burger could only satisfy their craving by traveling to their favorite restaurant. However, in July of 2019 that all changed when the FDA granted them permission to market it in grocery stores across the country If you're one of those who are yearning for a taste of your favorite, plant-based burger, check out their store locator to see if they're in a grocers near you.

Allen Lee

Written by Allen Lee

Allen Lee is a Toronto-based freelance writer who studied business in school but has since turned to other pursuits. He spends more time than is perhaps wise with his eyes fixed on a screen either reading history books, keeping up with international news, or playing the latest releases on the Steam platform, which serve as the subject matter for much of his writing output. Currently, Lee is practicing the smidgen of Chinese that he picked up while visiting the Chinese mainland in hopes of someday being able to read certain historical texts in their original language.

Read more posts by Allen Lee

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