The Impossible Burger has been made in a Silicon Valley lab with ingredients that mimic real beef. Its ingredients include wheat, coconut oil, potatoes, heme (an iron-carrying molecule found in the blood), and soybean. It was designed for those who cannot give up beef but still want a meat-like burger. Regardless of whether or not Impossible Burger is vegan, it is still a controversial product.
Is Impossible Burger Vegan?
Impossible Burger (opens in a new tab) is a plant-based burger with the flavor and feel of ground meat. The Impossible Burger cooks tastes and is better for the environment than beef from cows. Impossible Burger can be used in any recipe for ground beef, including chili, tacos, lasagnas, and burgers.
Do you need more reason to give Impossible Burger a try? It has the same protein as USDA(opens in a new tab) 80/20 ground beef per 4 oz serving. Impossible Burger is a good source of nutritional fiber (14g total fat), vitamins, critical minerals, and Halal, Gluten-Free, and Vegan.
To give Impossible Burger its meaty flavor, we use soy leghemoglobin as a source of hemp, coconut, and sunflower oils to make it sizzle on the griddle and conventional binders like methylcellulose and food starch to hold it all together. Because food safety and quality are paramount, we also employ mixed tocopherols, a natural antioxidant. Natural flavors are chemicals produced from plant materials or microbe fermentation processes combined with soy leghemoglobin to give Impossible Burger its craveable meaty flavor.
What are the Ingredients in an Impossible Burger?
Below is a list of the ingredients for an Impossible Burger patty. Most of the chemicals on this list have been plant-based, while others are naturally occurring molecules. Some of these compounds are synthetic or developed in a laboratory without animals.
- Natural Flavors Coconut Oil Water Soy Protein Concentrate
- Potato Protein from Sunflower Oil
- Methylcellulose Food in Starch and Salt with Yeast Extract and Cultured Dextrose Tocopherols (Antioxidant)
- Zinc Gluconate Protein from Soy Isolate
- Thiamine hydrochloride (Vitamin B1)
- Niacin
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
- Riboflavin is a vitamin that belongs to the B group of vitamins (Vitamin B2)
- Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
- Soy-derived leghemoglobin
You can perform your own research and check that none of these substances are animal derivatives or by-products by looking them up on the internet. Even vegan organizations believe that every component utilized in the Impossible Burger’s construction is vegan.
You may come across information indicating that riboflavin can also be found in animal sources. As a result, the Impossible Burger’s riboflavin isn’t vegan. Vitamin B2, like the other substances in the product, may be synthesized in a lab.
Is it True that Impossible Foods Tested on Animals?
The Impossible Burger is the first plant-based burger to “bleed,” thanks to the secretion of blood-red beet juice when you bite into it. Impossible Foods has become known for more than just a one-off, meat-eater-pleasing veggie burger since its launch in 2016. Impossible Foods is now known for creating meat from plants, whether it’s burgers, meatballs, or pork, and Impossible Burgers can be found at popular restaurants such as Burger King, Applebee’s, Bareburger, Hard Rock Café, Qdoba, Red Robin, the Cheesecake Factory, Wahlburgers, White Castle, and others.
Even though Impossible Foods produces “meat” exclusively from plants, some vegans object to the company’s decision to test on animals on occasion.
Why did Impossible Foods Use Animals in Their Research?
Impossible Burgers contain the chemical heme responsible for the plant-based patty’s resemblance to beef patties. Heme is an important molecule that contains iron; it may be found in the blood of people, animals, and plants, though at a much lower concentration in plants.
The soybean is the most abundant plant source of heme; soybeans contain leghemoglobin in their roots, which is why Impossible Foods sources their heme from soybeans. Impossible Foods makes soy leghemoglobin from soybeans, often known as heme.
Scientists employed soybean leghemoglobin to genetically create their own heme, while Impossible Foods was just getting started.
“We started by employing the heme-containing protein from the roots of soy plants,” according to the company’s website. Soy leghemoglobin is the name for it. We introduced DNA from soy plants into a genetically modified yeast strain. We then ferment this yeast in the same way that Belgian beer is manufactured. On the other hand, instead of making alcohol, our yeast multiplies and makes much heme.”
But where does animal testing fit into the picture?
Impossible Foods has been selling their burgers – which contained the chemical heme – for years without needing FDA certification. On the other hand, Impossible Foods has its sights set on expansion, including forays into well-known restaurants and supermarkets. (For example, Impossible Foods is now sold in mainstream fast-food and fast-casual restaurants and supermarkets such as Wegmans and Fairway Market.) As a result, Impossible chose to seek FDA permission.
AFTER IMPOSSIBLE FOODS APPLIED, the FDA shut it down, claiming that this type of heme could be a potential allergy because humans had never consumed it before. The next step in obtaining FDA permission was to submit three separate rat tests totaling 188 rats, and the rats were subsequently killed as part of normal animal testing procedures.
The FDA granted heme certification in 2018 after receiving a “no questions” letter from Impossible Foods.
Have Impossible Foods Expressed Regret for Subjecting its Products to Animal Testing?
CEO Patrick O. Brown explains why his firm submitted to animal testing in a 2017 PDF called “The Agonizing Dilemma of Animal Testing,” put on Impossible Foods’ website.
“The essence of Impossible Foods’ purpose is to eradicate animal exploitation in the food system and to lessen the tremendous negative impact of the animal farming and fishing industries on the environment, particularly species and the ecosystems they rely on,” Brown, a vegan for over 15 years, stated. “Performing rat-feeding tests to demonstrate that a food ingredient is not poisonous and safe is industry practice.”
“I absolutely despise animal exploitation, not just in the food chain but also in testing and research.” Nobody is more devoted to ending animal exploitation or working harder than Impossible Foods. Brown stated, “Avoiding the dilemma was not an option.”
“We hope we will never have to make such a decision again,” his statement ended, “but picking the alternative that advances the larger good is more important than ideological purity.”
Is the Impossible Burger Vegan in Every Way?
This is a question that has sparked a lot of debate. Yes, the Impossible Burger is 100 % vegan from a holistic standpoint, and the Impossible Burger does not include any meat or animal byproducts.
However, some vegans believe Impossible Foods goods are ineligible for the vegan label because the company undertook an animal test to obtain FDA approval for heme.
It’s ultimately up to you to determine whether or not you’re willing to try the Impossible Burger.
Is it Possible for Vegans to Consume the Impossible Whopper?
This is yet another difficult question. In the end, the solution is determined by the vegan. The Impossible Whopper from Burger King has no meat or animal-derived substances, and Vegans can eat the Impossible Whopper without eating any meat or animal by-products. Some vegans think that Impossible Foods’ decision to test on animals disqualifies the Impossible Burger (and other Impossible Foods products) from the “vegan” designation.
Does Beyond Meat Conduct Animal Testing?
Heme, as well as any other genetically modified organisms, are not found in Beyond Meat. Because none of its substances were “new” or genetically changed, Beyond didn’t need to test them on animals.
Calcium, iron, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice extract, apple extract, natural flavors, potato starch, and methylcellulose are the key constituents of Beyond Meat (plant fiber derivative). There was no need to test any of these substances.
What Kind of Goods do Impossible Foods Sell? Is it True that They Exclusively Manufacture Burgers?
Each firm’s products are one of the most significant differences between Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. True, Beyond Meat sells burger patties, including one with “more marbling” for a supposedly juicier burger. Aside from hot Italian sausages and brats, the company also provides “beef chunks” for tacos or Bolognese sauce, meatballs, breakfast sausage patties, chicken tenders, and jerky.
On the other hand, Impossible sells burger patties and packets of ground “beef” and pig and sausage. Impossible chicken nuggets are also available, while bacon is still being developed.
What is the History of Beyond Meat and Impossible Food Company, and Who Founded it?
Beyond Meat has a lengthier history than Impossible Foods, founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown, who is still the CEO. The company’s main goal is to reduce people’s reliance on livestock and replace it with better, more sustainable alternatives, which is where their products come in. Beyond has a devoted celebrity fanbase, including Kyrie Irving, Bill Gates, and Jessica Chastain.
Impossible Food is a more recent start-up. It was developed in 2011 by Patrick O’Reilly Brown, a Stanford biochemistry professor who shares the objective of eliminating animal husbandry by providing a delicious, plant-based alternative. The Impossible Burger was released in July 2016 after several years of development.
What does an Anti-Vegan Impossible Burger Look Like?
Because it is as vegan as a plant-based meat flavoring, soy leghemoglobin appears good news. Due to this ingredient, the Impossible Burger will lose its vegan designation.
Impossible Foods appears to have tested the Impossible Burger on rats to guarantee that it is safe for human consumption. This is owing to the addition of a brand-new component, soy leghemoglobin. As a result, it was uncertain how this unique chemical might affect the human body.
Before the Impossible Burger could be sold across the country, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it as “generally considered safe.” The tests were conducted on a specific number of living test participants, all of whom were rats.
For many years, Impossible Foods was not required to get FDA approval to market its products. On the other hand, the company flourished swiftly as its products were distributed to huge restaurants and supermarkets. The Impossible Burger is available at Fairway and Wegman’s supermarkets and Burger King’s popular Impossible Whopper.
To gain the GRAS classification for Impossible Burger at the time, Impossible Food had no choice but to follow FDA guidelines. 188 rats were used in three different safety experiments to see if the soy leghemoglobin used in Impossible Burger was harmful to human health.
You may be wondering what happened to the rats used in the experiment. As part of the FDA’s standard animal testing procedure, all 188 rats were killed. In 2018, the FDA approved the new heme component in Impossible Burger, but it did so at the risk of the lives of innocent beings.
Brown is a vegan; thus, the requirement for animal testing for their soy heme synthesis should have been disappointing. According to Impossible Foods, animal testing was done only once to acquire FDA approval, and the test methodology used the fewest available animal test subjects.
Many vegans have lost interest in the Impossible Burger after hearing the news. The fact that animals were abused and maimed solely to facilitate the product’s distribution should be enough to rule out Impossible Burger as a vegan alternative. According to PETA and The Vegan Society, the Impossible Burger is not vegan.
Conclusion
The Impossible Burger is a well-known vegetarian brand that appears too fantastic to be true. It has the same flavor as animal meat because it is entirely of plant-based ingredients. On the other hand, The Impossible Burger was not vegan-friendly due to its attempt to mimic the flavor and feel of meat.
Impossible Burger’s goal is in direct opposition to the vegan lifestyle. Many people believe that humans may survive solely on plant sources, known as veganism. Creating vegan cuisine with a fleshy flavor to appease people’s demands for animal meat would not help convert more people to veganism.
Finding vegan alternatives to specific foods does not always mean they will taste the same. Impossible Foods set out to make the perfect plant-based alternatives to popular meat products, but they killed real innocent animals.