Using advanced technology, Impossible Foods copies the taste and texture of meat and dairy products to create 100% plant-based alternatives.
Impossible Foods is working to produce cheese, eggs and meats utilizing only plant matter. Their trademark product is a cheeseburger that tastes like real meat but is made from plants, and the company believes its meat-like flavor and texture will convince even ardent burger lovers to eat less meat. Their technological discovery is based on the utilization of heme, a protein found in both meat and plants. Combining proteins from plants such as honeydew melons and coconuts, Impossible Foods has created a hamburger patty that – according to critics who have tried it – looks, smells and tastes similar to ground beef.
By providing consumers with meat and dairy products made entirely from plants, Impossible Foods’ creations will enable people to satisfy cravings without increasing the demands of livestock grazing on the environment. The “Impossible Burger” is currently being served at selected restaurants in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
We need a better way to produce meat and dairy products that can feed a growing population without wrecking our environment. The best way to do that is to make delicious, nutritious meat and dairy products from plants.
Patrick Brown – Founder and CEO, Impossible Foods.
Why you should care
Agricultural operations producing meat and dairy products cover 30% of the Earth’s land surface, and the industries are a major source of water and air pollution. With meat consumption expected to double globally by 2050 due to population growth and rising affluence, these environmental impacts are expected to worsen. A simple and effective solution is to develop and sell meat and dairy products made entirely from plants, such as the innovations from Impossible Foods.
How the Global Goals are addressed
Good health and well-being
Impossible Foods’ products are free of cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics and slaughterhouse contaminants, and consciously support a healthier lifestyle.
Clean water and sanitation
Studies show it takes 52.8 gallons of water to produce one quarter pounder hamburger. Impossible Foods claim to reduce this water consumption by 85% for their hamburgers.
Climate action
An Impossible Foods burger emits 89% less greenhouse gas emissions than a conventional animal-derived beef burger, according to the company.
Life on land
Impossible Food claims to use 99% less land for producing their burgers compared with traditional beef burgers, which need both grazing space and agricultural land to grow livestock feed.