The Burger That’s Changing The Food Industry
Making the impossible meat, possible
Impossible Foods’ mission is to save both animals and the Earth. Their products use 96% less land, 87% less water, and 89% fewer emissions. This reduces climate change and their plant-based ingredients allow us to eat all the meat we want for as long as we want without obliterating our planet.
How it’s Made
This meat-less burger is specifically designed for meat-eaters. It mimics the taste, smell, and texture of animal meat. It even “bleeds” while it cooks. This is created by heme — an iron containing molecule. Myoglobin, which is the muscle, releases heme when the meat is cooking. It gives off that enticing scent and texture many meat-eaters admire.
Plant-based heme is found in leghemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen around in soy roots. An absurd amount of soy roots is needed to produce enough heme, so the company came up with a plan. They invented a heme machine to meet the production requirement for burgers.
This genetically engineered burger is meticulously created from complex machines. The goal is to create as many meat-like components as possible. A sample of meat is put into a glass tube and then inserted into the machine cooker. The machine will be heated to the specific degree scientists select, to understand what flavors are generated at that point. Then, they study the texture of meat protein in order to create the same texture with plant-based ingredients. Though they are constantly improving their ingredients, water, heme, and coconut oil are currently the main ingredients of the Impossible Burger.
Meat-less Food is the Future
Impossible Foods is now served at over 7,000 restaurants across the country. Fast food chains such as Burger King, White Castle, Carl’s Jr., Del Taco, Red. Robin, Disney theme parks, and Umami Burger (just to name a few) are now offering this delicious plant-based option as well. They are selling one million products per month as they are in high demand. Bill Gates, Katy Perry, Serena Williams, and Jay-Z have recognized the uprising of this company and are now investing in it.
A non-vegan company, Tyson, has also invested in Impossible Foods and plans on following in their footsteps by producing their own brand of vegan meat. Nestle suggests that by 2020, plant-based foods will represent a $5 billion market in the U.S. It is predicted that in three decades, meat substitutes will officially replace animal meat. Impossible Foods is one of the first companies with this unique mission to change the world through eating.
RELATED: How Veganism Can End Climate Change
There has already been a drastic change in the food industry regarding veganism. Meat consumption in the US has been on the decline for nearly a decade. China’s plan is to cut meat consumption by 50% due to climate change. In Germany, meat consumption has decreased by 56%. In 2018 there was a 300% percent increase in the number of people who identify as vegans in the US. 51% of restaurants and nonvegan companies have been creating vegan options to comply with the increase of a plant-based lifestyle. Veganism is mainstream and they want to appeal to that audience.
Impossible Foods is booming due to the demand for plant-based options worldwide. They are not stopping at the replication of a plant-based doppelgänger of animal burgers either. They are releasing sausage, eggs, and dairy substitutes in the near future. Plant-based food is in high demand and vegan diets are strictly increasing while diets consisting of animal products are decreasing.
How do you think Impossible Foods will affect the meat industry? Let us know down in the comments.
This article was originally published on GREY Journal.
