Impossible Foods
- More restaurant chains are turning to faux-meat options.
- But experts say just because it's not meat, doesn't mean it's significantly healthier.
- In general, diets lower in meat can be healthier. But faux-meat products can have high sodium levels.
Burger King has the Impossible Whopper. Carl's Jr. has their Beyond Famous Star. KFC even introduced a plant-based chicken-like product — and sold out in 5 hours.
<p>It seems, either for the sake of following a trend or for the purpose of offering alternatives to more diverse consumers, many fast-food brands are hopping on the train of plant-based meats. Grocery stores are even seeing an influx of meat-like, plant-based options on their shelves.</p><p>The bet on faux meat is paying off for companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, two of the larger purveyors of these plant-based products. Some economic forecasters predict these companies will be bringing in well over <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/23/alternative-meat-to-become-140-billion-industry-barclays-says.html" target="_blank">$100 billion</a> in just about a decade. Even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tyson-challenges-beyond-meat-with-plant-based-product-2019-6" target="_blank">Tyson Foods</a> thinks they can turn their <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/meat-consumption" rel="noopener noreferrer">non-meat foods</a> into big business.</p><p>But for all the hype and glam of these meat alternatives, there's a very real reason companies are trying to encourage consumers to replace their beefy burgers with green ones: Research suggests they're healthier, in the long run, for both humans and the planet.</p><p>Can these plant-based foods deliver the promise of healthier, longer lives, a smaller footprint, and big, delicious flavor? We asked experts to weigh in for us.</p><h2>Meat vs. plant: Which is better for longer lives?</h2><p>Many large-scale, comprehensive studies have looked at the question of who lives longer: people who eat predominately plants, or people who eat an omnivore diet with meat.</p><p>And the results have been pretty one-sided.</p><p>For example, one <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4191896/" target="_blank">study</a> of more than 73,000 individuals found that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vegetarian" rel="noopener noreferrer">vegetarian diets</a> were linked to lower rates of premature death. Plus, death because of certain medical conditions — like cardiovascular disease and kidney disease — were lower in vegetarians compared to nonvegetarians.</p><p>The study's authors also noted that, "Associations in men were larger and more often significant than were those in women," which suggests men who eat a vegetarian or plant-based diet may see even more benefit than women who shun meat and animal products.</p><p>More recently, a study found that people who eat vegetarian and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vegan" rel="noopener noreferrer">vegan</a> diets have a lower incidence of all types of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26853923" target="_blank">cancer</a>. Meat, on the other hand, is commonly linked to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507972/" target="_blank">increased rates</a> of cancer.</p><p>"Processed meats are clear class-one carcinogens, along the same level as cigarettes, as determined by the World Health Organization," said <a href="https://mdmercy.com/centers-of-excellence/additional-centers/primary-care-physicians/find-a-primary-care-doctor/primary-care-doctors/dana-simpler-md?sc_lang=en" target="_blank">Dr. Dana Simpler</a>, primary care practitioner at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.</p><p>Plus, research confirms that people who eat a plant-based diet have a lower risk for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6307547/" target="_blank">hypertension</a>, diabetes, and heart disease. Plant-based eating may also help with weight loss, and people with some chronic diseases, like <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10479237" target="_blank">rheumatoid arthritis</a>, may see improvements in symptoms by following a plant-based diet.</p><p>"Unlike a meat-based diet, which has been shown in several studies to be associated with different diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease, a plant-based diet has a number of benefits, including lower body weight, decreased risk of cancer, and a reduction in risk of death from ischemic heart disease — a restriction in blood supply to tissues, causing shortage of oxygen," <a href="https://drmicrobiome.com/" target="_blank">Mahmoud Ghannoum</a>, PhD, author of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Total-Gut-Balance-Healthier-Mycobiome/dp/1682683680" target="_blank">Total Gut Balance</a>," told Healthline.</p><p>"Another <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S246826671830135X" target="_blank">study</a> published in 2018 involving more than 15,000 adults over 25 years found that animal foods high in protein and fat, such as lamb, beef, pork, and chicken were associated with a higher risk for premature death, while plant foods including vegetables, nuts, peanut butter, and whole-grain breads were associated with a lower risk for premature death," said Cyrus Khambatta, PhD, co-founder of <a href="https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/" target="_blank">Mastering Diabetes</a> and co-author of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Diabetes-Revolutionary-Permanently-Prediabetes-ebook/dp/B07TRJJHN2" target="_blank">Mastering Diabetes</a>."</p><p>Despite these findings, a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6307547/" target="_blank">report</a> out earlier this year points to a systemic problem within the American dietary mindset: Many know a move from meat to plants would be healthier for nearly everyone, but few are heeding the message.</p><p>"We must ask ourselves why this is the case, given the numerous advantages and health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet," the researchers wrote.</p><p>That, it seems, is the challenge for dietitians and doctors alike.</p><h2>So, should you swap?</h2><p>When it comes down to the matter of nutrition, the Beyond Burger, Impossible Burger, and other plant-based meat-like alternatives just aren't that much different than their meaty twins — at least in terms of numbers.</p><p>"Since a meat-based diet poses a number of health risks, the perception is that consuming a meat-like alternative is a healthy swap. In this regard, eating plant-based meat is quite safe and makes sense," Ghannoum said. "However, these meat alternatives are processed food, and like other processed foods are not as healthy as eating fresh vegetables."</p><p>Salt and fat are a particular concern because many manufacturers add these ingredients for the sake of flavor. The addition of oils, for flavor and moisture, makes many of these not ideal for someone with diabetes or heart disease, Simpler says.</p><p>"The Beyond Burger has just as much saturated fat as meat," said <a href="http://www.wholesomeendeavors.com/" target="_blank">Hannah Koschak</a>, RD, CD. "However, the Beyond Burger has 3 grams of fiber, which is beneficial."</p><p>But in the benefit column for the fake meats is the absence of a particular type of fat, Koschak says. "Meat has naturally occurring trans fats, which should be avoided as much as possible. However, imitation meat does not have trans fats."</p><p>Simpler added, "Also, soy protein isolates are so highly processed that they mimic the effects of animal protein in the body. So, it is important to pay attention to ingredients and avoid products with a lot of oil or soy protein isolates.</p><p>"What's more, some of these plant-based patties have more sodium than ground beef, which is naturally lower in sodium. An ounce of ground beef has about <a href="https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/6205/2" target="_blank">20 milligrams of sodium</a>, or about 70 milligrams for a 3-ounce cooked patty. A Beyond Burger has nearly <a href="https://www.beyondmeat.com/products/the-beyond-burger/" target="_blank">400 milligrams</a>. High sodium intake is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases that are a leading cause of death in America.</p><p>So when it comes to the reason many people make the swap from meat — for their health — the switch from ground beef patties to plant-based look-a-likes does have more benefits than drawbacks, Koschak says. But it's not the real switch to plant-based eating that many health advocates have been pitching for decades.</p><p>"No, it is not more nutritious by any means. However, health-wise, they are a better option than meat," she said.</p><h2>The bottom line</h2><p>The experts Healthline spoke with agreed that any move toward a plant-based diet is a move in the right direction.</p><p>"These meat-like alternatives represent a short-term step towards eating less animal foods, but may not be a good long-term strategy to reduce the risk for future health complications," Khambatta said.</p><p>But ultimately, the goal for anyone looking to extend their lifespan and reduce their risk of diet-related health complications is to move entirely to a diet focused on unprocessed plants.</p><p>However, the occasional faux-meat burger gets a thumbs up from these experts, as the look-a-like meats have some flaws but are, as a whole, still healthier than the real thing.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/will-impossible-whopper-over-beef-help-you-live-longer#The-bottom-line" target="_blank">Healthline</a>.</em></p>
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If you want your vegetarian burger cooked on a different broiler than regular meat patties, you'll have to make a special request when you order. Burger King
By Brian Mastroianni
Earlier this year, fast-food giant Burger King announced it was going to offer a vegetarian-friendly version of its signature sandwich: the Impossible Whopper.
<p>The new burger would use a patty from Impossible Foods, a company that makes plant-based substitutes for dairy and meat food products.</p>
<p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/burger-kings-meatless-burgers-cooked-on-same-grill-as-regular-patties" rel="noopener noreferrer">Healthline</a>.</em><em></em></p>
<p>While welcome news at first for vegetarian and vegan consumers who in the past have always had difficulty finding options that work for them at places like their local Burger King, the new veggie option comes with a caveat.</p><p>On its <a href="https://www.bk.com/menu-item/impossible-whopper" target="_blank">website's description</a> of the Impossible Whopper, the second-largest burger chain in the United States offers an asterisk: The patty is prepared on the "same broiler used for beef and chicken."</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/burger-kings-new-impossible-whopper-comes-with-a-stipulation" target="_blank">Fox Business</a>, Burger King patrons reportedly have the option to ask that their veggie burgers be cooked in separate broilers from the meat products.</p><p>This is often a request that people who adhere to <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-a-vegan" target="_blank">vegan diets</a> make: not wanting their meals to be prepared alongside meat items, keeping animal residue from their food.</p><p>Whether this is a problem for you or not depends on how strict your stipulations are for adhering to a meat-free diet, says <a href="https://ph.ucla.edu/faculty/hunnes" target="_blank">Dana Hunnes</a>, PhD, MPH, RD, a senior dietitian at UCLA Medical Center.</p><p>"I do see a lot of restaurants preparing, beginning vegetarian burgers on the same grill as they do other burgers. I think it kind of depends on how strict the person was," Hunnes told Healthline.</p><p>"I for one would personally request that card on a different grill. However, I don't always know if this is feasible. Either way, it is definitely a step in the right direction to be offering these types of burgers," she said.</p><p>Registered dietitian <a href="http://healthyunderpressure.com/about-me/" target="_blank">Amber Pankonin</a>, MS, LMNT, adds that some vegetarians and vegans are more strict for religious purposes, for instance.</p><p>On the flip side, she says there are plenty who share the same grill at home while eating with meat-eating family members. As with anything, those who are on vegetarian and vegan diets fall on a wide spectrum of experience.</p><p>If you're on a plant-based diet or one that avoids animal products of any kind and are planning a night out, is there a common protocol for inquiring about how your food is prepared?</p><p>Pankonin told Healthline this differs depending on the circumstance. For example, there's a difference between someone's food preference and concerns over a food allergy.</p><p>She says that being a vegetarian or vegan is often seen as a "food preference" in many commercial kitchens.</p><p>"When it comes to knowing how your food is prepared, unless you are actually there to observe in person, it's probably a guessing game. If you are truly concerned, it would be wise to look at the menu online and then call ahead and ask how vegetarian or vegan options are prepared," she said.</p><p>Hunnes says if you have questions about salt in your food, certain types of oils, other allergens, or, in this case, vegetarian or vegan requests, she suggests you ask whether the restaurant has the "ability to prepare the food in the way you want it prepared."</p><p>If the establishment can't accommodate you, she says it's your choice to go elsewhere.</p><p>Pankonin cautions that sometimes people mistake vegan and vegetarian options as being automatically "healthy." She says these aren't always the healthiest options on a menu when it comes to overall calories and sodium content.</p><p>For her clients with concerns about this, Pankonin encourages them to always apply the basic principles of <a href="https://www.choosemyplate.gov/" target="_blank">MyPlate</a>, the nutrition guide published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.</p><p>She stresses that you should always check the nutrition facts of any given dish if you're worried about calories or sodium.</p><p>"If there are no nutrition facts available, you can always ask the server how the meal is prepared and ask for substitutions if necessary," Pankonin said.</p><p>"If you truly desire to eat a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet, you should include a variety of plant-based foods and not just rely on overly processed meatless options," she added.</p>
The Bottom Line
<p>Back in spring, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/is-buger-kings-impossible-whopper-healthy" target="_blank">fast-food chain Burger King announced</a> it was going to offer a vegetarian-friendly Impossible Whopper made out of plant-based ingredients instead of meat.</p><p>When reading <a href="https://www.bk.com/menu-item/impossible-whopper" target="_blank">the fine print on its website</a>, some vegetarian and vegan customers might be dismayed to see the default preparation for these patties is for them to be cooked on the same broilers as beef and chicken items.</p><p>Dietitians stress that whether this concerns you will depend on how strictly you adhere to your vegetarian or vegan diet.</p><p>Do your research. If you're unclear about the ingredients of a dish when dining out or want to know more about how it's prepared, read the menu online beforehand, and make sure to ask your server.</p><p>If it isn't made in a way that serves your diet or takes into account a food allergy, you can politely ask to have it prepared in a specific way for you.</p><p>However, remember you might have to seek a different dining option if the restaurant can't accommodate you.</p>
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An Impossible Burger. Sarah Stierch / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
By Jaydee Hanson
In the foodie world, 2019 might as well be named The Year of the Impossible Burger. This plant-based burger that "bleeds" can now be found on the menus of Burger King, Fatburger, Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin, White Castle and many other national restaurant chains. Consumers praise the burger's meat-like texture and the product is advertised as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional beef burgers.
<p>In January, Impossible Foods launched the Impossible Burger 2.0. The company has stated that the new burger is "tastier, juicier and more nutritious" — featuring 40 percent less saturated fat than the old recipe, and just as much protein as 80/20 ground beef from cows. The new product is also gluten-free, replacing wheat with soy protein. Unfortunately, the Impossible Burger might just be too good to be true. At <a href="https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/" target="_blank">Center for Food Safety</a>, we believe that replacing conventional animal products with ultra-processed, poorly studied, and under-regulated genetically engineered products is not the solution to our <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/factory-farming">factory farm</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a>. Here's the science to back this up.</p>
<p><strong><br/></strong></p><p><strong><br/></strong></p>
The Science
<p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/impossible-burger">Impossible Burger</a> is manufactured from two different methods of genetically engineering soy products. This "impossible in nature" union is neither healthier nor more environmentally friendly than other kinds of non-meat burgers. While Impossible Foods, the company behind the Impossible Burger, has been trying to spin its product as both healthier and more sustainable than those of its competitors, a quick examination of the company's own data suggests otherwise. </p><p><strong>1. The first kind of genetic engineering in the "Impossible Burger" is found in the soy used for the protein in the "burger" itself.</strong></p><p>Rather than starting with organic soy beans, which have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814613019201" target="_blank">higher levels of protein and lower levels of Omega 6 fatty acids (the bad Omega)</a>, the company <a href="https://medium.com/impossible-foods/how-our-commitment-to-consumers-and-our-planet-led-us-to-use-gm-soy-23f880c93408" target="_blank">chose to use GMO soybeans</a>, probably because they are cheaper than the organic beans. The company uses both GMO soy protein concentrate and GMO soy protein isolate <a href="https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018937494" target="_blank">for the protein in its burger</a>. Impossible Foods does not describe how it processes the soy, but alcohol is the most common solvent used to process soy protein concentrate, as it produces products with a neutral taste. But the beneficial isoflavones in soy are removed by this method. Soy protein concentrate has the lowest level of healthful isoflavones — including daidzein, genistein and glycitein — <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/134/5/1229S/4688709" target="_blank">of any form of processed soy</a>.</p><p>Unfortunately, GMO soy is also sprayed with large amounts of the herbicide <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/glyphosate">glyphosate</a>, a product shown to cause cancer in people exposed during its application. GMO soy <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/8/e1600850" target="_blank">has been found</a> to use significantly more herbicides than conventional soy or organic soy. At a time when <a href="https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/5595/california-couple-prevail-in-third-roundup-cancer-lawsuit-awarded-2-billion" target="_blank">juries are awarding</a> billions of dollars in damages to those affected by exposure to glyphosate, it is startling that Impossible Foods would double down on the GMO soy that is inextricably linked to this toxic herbicide.</p><p><strong>2. The second kind of genetic engineering of soy produces the "heme" that makes the Impossible Burger "bleed." </strong></p><p>In order to manufacture its burgers, Impossible Foods takes DNA from the roots of soy plants, where a small amount of "heme" is produced, and inserts it into genetically engineered yeast that is then fermented to mass-produce heme. This is the first time that people have consumed this product. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is supposed to require testing in this situation to make sure that this novel protein does not cause allergic reactions in people. Unfortunately, instead of requiring Impossible Foods to file a new Food Additive Petition, FDA allowed the company to use a weak regulatory process called "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) where the company does its own research and chooses its own reviewers to self-certify that its product is safe for human consumption. Center for Food Safety has a <a href="https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/4956/groups-sue-fda-to-protect-food-safety" target="_blank">lawsuit</a> challenging the GRAS food additive loophole that the Impossible Burger went through, allowing it and many other novel food substances to unlawfully evade government analysis and approval before coming to market.</p><p>Even under the weak GRAS process, the first time the company submitted data on the allergenicity of its "heme," it was so inadequate that the FDA raised questions about the company's data and the company withdrew its application so that it could redo its research. Although the FDA now says that it has "no questions" about Impossible Foods' latest research on the safety of "heme," the agency itself has not affirmatively declared that "heme" produced in genetically engineered yeast is safe for human consumption. Moreover, FDA has warned Impossible Foods that it cannot claim its "heme" is a source of iron based on this review and that it must label its product as a potential allergen. The FDA also notes that the company should <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/116243/download" target="_blank">request a review of the "heme" as a new color additive</a>.</p>Conclusion
<p>Most customers of the Impossible Burger will not see labels saying that the burgers are made from GMO soy or could cause allergic reactions as Impossible Foods are currently only selling to fast food chains which do not put such labels on their menus.</p><p>Rather than buy the GMOx2 Impossible Burger, choose a non-GMO burger made in your local area. The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/these-6-veggie-burgers-arent-meant-to-taste-like-meat--and-thats-what-makes-them-so-good/2019/05/24/f2f068e4-71d6-11e9-9f06-5fc2ee80027a_story.html?utm_term=.a6c02ebd1d9a" target="_blank">recently highlighted</a> six veggie-based burgers being made by local restaurants that are not serving the Impossible Burger.<strong></strong></p>
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Burger King’s ‘Impossible’ Whopper Has No Beef — Does This Make It Healthy?
06 May 2019
Health + Wellness
An Impossible Whopper sits on a table at a Burger King restaurant on April 1 in Richmond Heights, Missouri. Michael Thomas / Getty Images
By Gigen Mammoser
Has a green revolution finally come for fast food?
<p>Last week, Burger King, the second largest burger chain in the U.S., <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/impossible-burger-burger-king-vegan-whopper-to-be-sold-nationwide-by-end-of-year/https://www.apnews.com/e2dbb5264a7a8fd61b5560ac0e43d425" target="_blank">announced</a> it will offer an Impossible Whopper — a vegetarian version of their flagship sandwich at outlets nationwide by the end of the year.</p><p>The new veg-friendly option uses a patty from Impossible Foods, a California-based startup that develops plant-based alternatives for meat. Despite the switcheroo and new green paper wrapper, Burger King wants consumers to know that the sandwich is still 100 percent Whopper, despite the lack of beef.</p><p><span></span>Burger King isn't the first fast-food chain to roll out new vegetarian options based on innovative developments in the world of plant-based alternatives to meats — but it's by far the largest to date.</p><p><span></span>Carl's Jr. began offering a <a href="https://www.carlsjr.com/beyondburger" target="_blank">Beyond Famous Star</a> in January of this year — a vegetarian version of their famous sandwich that uses a plant-based patty from Beyond Meat, an Impossible Foods competitor.</p><p><span></span>White Castle also has an <a href="https://www.whitecastle.com/promotions/impossible-slider" target="_blank">Impossible slider</a> available nationally since late 2018.</p><p><span></span>Initially Burger King <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/burger-king-to-trial-impossible-meatless-whopper-in-59-stores-2633500660.html">announced</a> a limited run of their Impossible Whopper at 59 restaurants in and around the St. Louis area.</p><p>Now, the nationwide rollout makes Burger King the first coast-to-coast fast-food chain to use the Impossible Burger, according to a Burger King press release obtained by Healthline.</p><p>Despite being a vegetarian option, the company hasn't been touting the food based on its health options. Instead, their message to consumers has been that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9FED3jkNTo" target="_blank">you won't be able to tell the difference</a>.</p><p><span></span>Those sentiments were echoed by Burger King's chief marketing officer, Fernando Machado, who told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/technology/burger-king-impossible-whopper.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>, "People on my team who know the Whopper inside and out, they try it and they struggle to differentiate which one is which."</p>
<p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/is-buger-kings-impossible-whopper-healthy" target="_blank">Healthline</a>.</em><em></em></p>
Made From Plants, But Not a Health Food
<p>Is this plant-based Whopper actually any healthier for you than the meat-based version? Not really.</p><p><span></span>"Health-wise I don't think it makes much of a difference," <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-zarabi-952a39103/" target="_blank">Sharon Zarabi </a>RD, director of the Bariatric Program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told Healthline.</p><p><span></span>"I wouldn't define it as healthier, I would define it more as ethical," she said.</p><p><span></span>The original Whopper clocks in at 660 calories (more than half of them coming from fat), 40 grams of fat, and 28 grams of protein. The Impossible Whopper comes in at 630 calories (again, half from fat), 34 grams of fat, and 25 grams of protein.</p><p>The Impossible Whopper does have significantly lower cholesterol — 10 milligrams compared to 90 milligrams — but has more sodium at 1,240 milligrams compared to 980 milligrams.</p><p>Over at White Castle, the Impossible slider actually <a href="https://static-whitecastle-com.s3.amazonaws.com/White-Castle-Nutrition-Information.pdf" target="_blank">contains more calories than a traditional slider</a>. Its nutrition information is more aligned with what you'd find in a double slider.</p><p><span></span>"What contributes to obesity is your calorie intake and obviously the quality of your calories, so when you're still getting the fries and the bun and the soda, unfortunately having an Impossible burger is not going to wipe out the calories from the other foods," said Zarabi.</p><p><span></span>"It does equate to the same amount of calories as having the Impossible burger versus a meat-based burger," she said.</p><p><span></span>Despite not being healthier in terms of calories and fat, the presence of plant-based alternatives available from national restaurant chains, especially those with limited options for vegetarians, is promising.</p><p><span></span>"It's a step in the right direction as more and more studies indicate the potential harms of consuming excess red meat," <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-kirkpatrick-ms-rd-ld-202b8123/" target="_blank">Kristin Kirkpatrick</a>, MS, RD, LD, a licensed registered dietitian who is manager of wellness nutrition services at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, told Healthline.</p><p>Kirkpatrick said the rise of veggie-based burgers gives consumers more options.</p><p>"As much as I would love to say that fast food is now a thing of the past, the statement is not concurrent with consumer trends," she said. "People are still eating fast foods, despite efforts to mitigate it. At least they have an option outside of the fried and meat options — they now have a choice. I think this is just the beginning as more people, concerned with health and environment, look for alternative options." </p><p><span></span>Serving a plant-based burger might seem like an exercise in futility, when it sits alongside oversized sodas and fries, but on the other hand, it might be the most practical way of actually reaching consumers.</p>Is Fast Food Changing?
<p>Fast food remains as popular as ever, but the willingness of brands like Burger King to take on plant-based alternatives says something significant about America's changing attitudes toward meat and health.</p><p>"It's nice to see a trend moving toward plant-based eating," said Zarabi.</p><p><span></span>"I think that we're going to see with the future of food a lot of food imposters, similar to milk. A lot of people have moved away from dairy and are now substituting with [milk alternatives], which is great, but I think a lot of people need to take a step back and ask themselves why they are swapping from one item to another and really consult with dietitians or health professionals," she said.<span></span></p>
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An Impossible Whopper sits on a table at a Burger King restaurant on April 1 in Richmond Heights, Missouri. Michael Thomas / Getty Images
Burger King plans to roll out the meatless Impossible Whopper at every one of its 7,200 U.S. branches by the end of the year, the company said Monday.
<p>The decision follows a successful <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/burger-king-to-trial-impossible-meatless-whopper-in-59-stores-2633500660.html">month-long trial run</a> for the alternative meat burger, a partnership with the Impossible Foods brand, at Burger Kings in the St. Louis area. Consumer demand for the meatless burger that "bleeds" became so high in recent months that restaurants around the country are experiencing an Impossible Burger shortage, Eater reports. </p><p>Earlier this month, Mexican chain <a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=8376d726e6&e=992ed4d5cc" target="_blank">Qdoba</a> said it would begin offering Impossible products, while competitor <a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=5310944562&e=992ed4d5cc" target="_blank">Del Taco</a> announced they would partner with Impossible competitor Beyond Meat for its meatless options.</p><p><strong>For a deeper dive: </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/29/18522717/impossible-burger-impossible-foods-expansion-restaurants-demand" target="_blank">Eater</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/29/18522640/burger-king-impossible-whopper-vegan-meat" target="_blank">Vox</a>, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/29/business/burger-king-impossible-rollout/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>, <a href="https://www.apnews.com/e2dbb5264a7a8fd61b5560ac0e43d425" target="_blank">AP</a>, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/29/burger-king-will-roll-out-the-impossible-burger-nationwide-by-the-end-of-the-year/" target="_blank">TechCrunch</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/04/29/burger-kings-impossible-whopper-is-going-national-is-that-bad-news-for-small-restaurants/?utm_term=.2374dcd397d9" target="_blank">Washington Post</a></p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/04/29/burger-kings-impossible-whopper-is-going-national-is-that-bad-news-for-small-restaurants/?utm_term=.2374dcd397d9" target="_blank"></a><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </em><em>and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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- Burger King to Trial Meat-Free Impossible Whopper - EcoWatch ›
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T.Tseng / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
By Jillian Kubala, MS, RD
The Impossible Burger is a plant-based alternative to traditional meat-based burgers. It's said to mimic the flavor, aroma, and texture of beef.
<p>Some claim that the Impossible Burger is more nutritious and environmentally friendly than beef-based burgers. Others argue that certain ingredients in the Impossible Burger may not be optimal for your health.</p><p>This article explains what the Impossible Burger is, what it's made of, and whether it's nutritionally superior to beef-based burgers.</p>
<p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/impossible-burger" target="_blank">Healthline</a>.</em><em></em></p>
What is the Impossible Burger?
<p>The Impossible Burger was created by Impossible Foods, a company founded by Patrick O. Brown in 2011.</p><p>Brown is a scientist and professor emeritus at Stanford University in California. He holds a medical degree and a Ph.D. and has worked as a research scientist for many years.</p><p>Through conferences, Brown tried raising awareness about how using animals for food harms the environment. However, this had little impact, so he created a business that produced plant-based alternatives to popular animal products.</p><p>Its signature product — the Impossible Burger — aims to perfectly mimic the taste of beef.</p><p><strong>Impossible Burger Ingredients</strong></p><p>Using carefully selected ingredients, Impossible Foods created a plant-based burger that some say perfectly resembles the taste, aroma, and texture of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/beef" target="_blank">beef</a>.</p><p>The original Impossible Burger contains the following ingredients:</p><p>Water, textured wheat protein, coconut oil, potato protein, natural flavors, 2% or less of leghemoglobin (soy), yeast extract, salt, konjac gum, xanthan gum, soy protein isolate, vitamin E, vitamin C, thiamine (vitamin B1), zinc, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamin B12.</p><p>In 2019, the company introduced a new recipe featuring the following changes:</p><ul> <li>uses <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/soy-protein-good-or-bad" target="_blank">soy protein</a> instead of wheat protein, making it gluten-free</li><li></li><li>contains a plant-based culinary binder called methylcellulose to improve texture</li></ul><ul><li>replaced a portion of the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil" target="_blank">coconut oil</a> with sunflower oil to reduce saturated fat content</li></ul><p>Heme, or soy leghemoglobin, is the ingredient said to set the Impossible Burger apart from other plant-based burgers. It adds to the flavor and color of the burger and makes it "bleed" like a beef burger does when cut.</p><p>It's also perhaps the most controversial ingredient in the Impossible Burger.</p><p>Unlike the heme found in beef, the heme in the Impossible Burger is genetically engineered by adding soy protein to genetically engineered yeast (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5813221/" target="_blank">1</a>).</p><p>Though Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some raise concern about its potential health effects (<a href="https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/NoticeInventory/ucm588603.pdf" target="_blank">2</a>).</p><p>Currently, the Impossible Burger is only available at certain restaurants and fast food establishments in the United States, Hong Kong, and Macau. The company also plans to sell the Impossible Burger in U.S. grocery stores from 2019.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The Impossible Burger is a plant-based burger option said to replicate the flavor, texture, and aroma of beef.</p>Impossible Burger Nutrition
<p>There are nutritional differences between the Impossible Burger and beef-based burgers.</p><p>The following chart compares a 113-gram serving of the Impossible burger to an equal serving of a 90%-lean beef burger (<a target="_blank" href="https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018939274-What-are-the-nutrition-facts-">3</a>, <a href="https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list" target="_blank">4</a>).</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTQyNzM2OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNTEwMzkzMX0.0Sn4J3UCwQ1mNxcTzZ5T9uTQEq7cfeqyNTpdDbba8Ns/img.png?width=980" id="a1322" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="58a9a9bcb7237c9759f157c88766949a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>Impossible Burgers are significantly lower in <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-per-day" target="_blank">protein</a> than beef-based burgers, yet they contain more fiber. Impossible Burgers are also higher in fat and contain carbohydrates, while beef burgers do not contain any carbs.</p><p>Furthermore, the Impossible Burger beats beef in many vitamin and mineral categories like folate, B12, thiamine, and iron.</p><p>However, it's important to note that these nutrients are added to the product, unlike the nutrients found in beef.</p><p>Impossible Burgers also contain a high amount of added <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/salt-good-or-bad" target="_blank">salt</a>, packing in 16% of the daily value for sodium in one 4-ounce (113-gram) serving.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The Impossible Burger is higher in certain vitamins and minerals than beef burgers, as they are added during processing. Impossible Burgers are also higher in salt and carbohydrates.</p>
Impossible Burger Benefits
<p>Impossible Burgers offer several health benefits.</p><p><strong>High in Important Nutrients</strong></p><p>The Impossible Burger contains an impressive amount of nutrients, as vitamins and minerals like iron, thiamine, zinc, niacin, riboflavin, and vitamin B12 are added during processing.</p><p>Some of these nutrients, such as vitamin B12, iron, and zinc, are especially important for those following <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/plant-based-diet-guide" target="_blank">plant-based diets</a>, including vegans and vegetarians.</p><p>Vegans and vegetarians are at a greater risk of developing <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-common-nutrient-deficiencies" target="_blank">deficiencies</a> in these nutrients than people who consume animal products (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5598028/" target="_blank">5</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793309/" target="_blank">6</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188422/" target="_blank">7</a>).</p><p>What really sets the Impossible Burger apart from other vegan and vegetarian foods enriched with iron is that it provides heme iron. Heme iron is better absorbed by your body than the non-heme iron you get from plant foods.</p><p>Moreover, soy leghemoglobin has been shown to have an equivalent bioavailability to the iron found in meat, making it a potentially important source of highly absorbable iron for those who don't consume animal products (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16478282" target="_blank">8</a>).</p><p>The iron in the Impossible Burger has been approved by the FDA for use in food, although it's long-term safety is still unknown.</p><p><strong>Suitable for Plant-Based Diets</strong></p><p>The Impossible Burger is a good choice if you enjoy the taste of beef burgers but want to limit your intake of animal products.</p><p>In addition to being suitable for both <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegetarian-diet-plan" target="_blank">vegetarian</a> and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-diet-guide" target="_blank">vegan</a> diets, it contains nutrients that many plant-based diets lack, such as vitamin B12 and heme iron.</p><p>Given that Impossible Burgers are offered at certain restaurants and fast food establishments, it's a tasty and easy, on-the-go meal choice for those following plant-based diets.</p><p><strong>May Be a More Environmentally-Friendly Choice</strong></p><p>The Impossible Burger website claims that producing this plant-based burger uses roughly 75% less water, generates 87% fewer greenhouse gasses, and requires 95% less land than producing conventional ground beef from cows (<a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/if-pr/fda-no-questions-letter/" target="_blank">9</a>).</p><p>Indeed, research shows that cattle farming is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions in the livestock industry (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30119602" target="_blank">10</a>).</p><p>Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming contribute to global warming. This leads many climate experts to recommend that people eat a more plant-based diet in order to mitigate pressure on the environment (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29105912" target="_blank">11</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182055/" target="_blank">12</a>).</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The Impossible Burger is an environmentally-friendly food packed with nutrients that vegan and vegetarian diets often lack, such as iron and vitamin B12.</p>Impossible Burger Precautions
<p>Although the Impossible Burger offers some benefits, there are some downsides to consider as well.</p><p><strong>Concerns Over Plant-Based Heme</strong></p><p>Although soy leghemoglobin — the heme used in Impossible Burgers — was deemed GRAS by the FDA, its long-term safety is still unknown.</p><p>Current studies on soy leghemoglobin have only been conducted in animals and over short periods.</p><p>For example, a 28-day study in rats found that those fed the equivalent of 750 mg/kg per day of soy leghemoglobin, which is over 100 times greater than the 90th percentile estimated daily intake in humans, had no adverse effects (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5956568/" target="_blank">13</a>).</p><p>However, it's currently unknown whether it's safe for humans to eat this man-made compound over longer periods.</p><p><strong>Contains Potentially Allergenic Ingredients</strong></p><p>The original Impossible Burger recipe contains wheat and soy, both of which are common food allergens.</p><p>In fact, 1% of the world's population has celiac disease, which is an immune reaction to gluten-containing grains.</p><p>What's more, it's thought that 0.5–13% of the general population has non-celiac <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gluten-sensitivity-is-real" target="_blank">gluten sensitivity</a> — an intolerance to gluten that results in unpleasant symptoms like headache and intestinal issues (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182669/" target="_blank">14</a>).</p><p>While the new Impossible Burger recipe has swapped gluten-containing wheat protein for soy protein, the burger still contains ingredients that some people can't tolerate.</p><p>For example, an allergy to soy, while less common than an allergy to milk or wheat, is considered one of the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-food-allergies" target="_blank">eight most common food allergens</a> for both adults and children (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312744/" target="_blank">15</a>).</p><p><strong>Concerns Over GMOs</strong></p><p>Impossible Foods does not hide the fact that the Impossible Burger contains genetically modified (GMO) ingredients like soy leghemoglobin and soy protein.</p><p>Most scientists agree that GMO foods are safe. However, some are concerned about the use of GMO crops that are resistant to commonly used herbicides like glyphosate and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424534/" target="_blank">16</a>).</p><p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/roundup-glyphosate-and-health" target="_blank">Glyphosate</a> has been linked to potentially harmful effects on humans, plants, and animals, leading many experts to demand further research on the possible hazards of this herbicide to both humans and the environment (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29117584" target="_blank">17,</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29884897" target="_blank">18</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/results/areas/glyphosate/index.html">19</a>).</p><p>For example, glyphosate has been shown to harm hormonal function, and some studies have linked it to certain cancers like leukemia (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30060078" target="_blank">20</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29136183" target="_blank">21</a>).</p><p>Additionally, some studies have linked exposure to 2,4-D with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4025008/" target="_blank">22</a>).</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>There are several downsides to the Impossible Burger, including its content of potentially allergenic ingredients and the use of GMO ingredients like soy leghemoglobin.</p>Is the Impossible Burger Healthy?
<p>If taste and convenience are your only concerns, the Impossible Burger may be a good choice. However, if you want to eat a more nutritious plant-based burger, consider a more whole-food-based veggie burger.</p><p><strong>There Are Healthier Plant-Based Burger Options</strong></p><p>The Impossible Burger contains mostly soy or wheat protein, as well as added preservatives, salt, flavorings, and fillers to enhance its taste, shelf life, and texture.</p><p>Although these ingredients are considered natural, they aren't necessary for a healthy diet, and some people prefer to avoid them.</p><p>Another downside to the Impossible Burger is that any restaurant can put their own spin on it, meaning that other ingredients — aside from those listed on the official website — may be present in the final food product.</p><p>Other veggie burgers on the market usually contain similar ingredients. However, some contain more whole-food-based ingredients like lentils, quinoa, hemp, and black beans.</p><p>Fortunately, you can make healthier and more whole-food-based veggie burgers at home. Delicious plant- and nutrient-dense burger recipes can be found online and are often based on plant proteins like beans, grains, and nuts.</p><p>Plus, many recipes pack in fresh vegetables like sweet potato, onions, cauliflower, leafy greens, and spices to further elevate the nutritional benefits of the final dish.</p><p>The heme iron in the Impossible Burger is more bioavailable than non-heme iron in <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/iron-rich-plant-foods" target="_blank">plant foods</a>.</p><p>Luckily, if you eat a plant-based diet, you can instead meet your iron needs by eating nutrient-dense whole foods like legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains. Alternatively, you can take iron supplements.</p><p>Additionally, pairing plant-based iron sources with foods rich in vitamin C, as well as soaking, sprouting, or fermenting grains and legumes before eating them, are simple ways to naturally enhance the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/increase-iron-absorption" target="_blank">absorption of non-heme iron</a> (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK230157/" target="_blank">23</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999603/" target="_blank">24</a>).</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>While the Impossible Burger may be a good option for vegans and vegetarians on the go, you can make healthier plant-based burgers at home.</p>The Bottom Line
<p>The Impossible Burger has made headlines for its impressive similarity to beef-based burgers.</p><p>It boasts high protein, vitamin, and mineral contents, including a genetically engineered, plant-based source of heme iron known as soy leghemoglobin.</p><p>However, there are concerns about some of its ingredients. These include soy hemoglobin and potentially allergenic protein sources like gluten and soy.</p><p>Although the Impossible Burger may be a tasty and convenient option on the go, you can make more nutritious plant-based burgers from whole-food ingredients at home.</p>
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The Impossible Burger. T.Tseng / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
By Mark R. O'Brian
People eat animals that eat plants. If we just eliminate that middle step and eat plants directly, we would diminish our carbon footprint, decrease agricultural land usage, eliminate health risks associated with red meat and alleviate ethical concerns over animal welfare. For many of us, the major hurdle to executing this plan is that meat tastes good. Really good. By contrast, a veggie burger tastes like, well, a veggie burger. It does not satisfy the craving because it does not look, smell or taste like beef. It does not bleed like beef.
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<a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/" target="_blank">Impossible Foods</a>, a California-based company, seeks to change this by adding a plant product to their veggie burger with properties people normally associate with animals and give it the desired qualities of beef. The <a href="https://medium.com/impossible-foods/the-mission-that-motivates-us-d4d7de61665" target="_blank">Impossible Burger has been sold in local restaurants since 2016</a> and is now expanding its market nationwide by teaming up with Burger King to create the <a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/burgerking/" target="_blank">Impossible Whopper</a>. The Impossible Whopper is currently being test marketed in St. Louis, with plans to expand nationally if things go well there.
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But what exactly is being added to this veggie burger? Does it make it the burger less vegan? Is the additive from a GMO? Does it prevent the burger from being labeled organic?
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I am a molecular biologist and biochemist interested in understanding how plants and bacteria interact with each other and with the environment, and how that relates to human health. This knowledge has been applied in a way that I did not anticipate to develop the Impossible Burger.
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<em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-the-impossible-burger-look-and-taste-like-real-beef-115027" target="_blank">The Conversation</a></em><em>.</em>
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What on Earth Is Leghemoglobin?
<p>The Impossible Burger includes an ingredient from soybeans called leghemoglobin, which is a protein that is chemically bound to a non-protein molecule called heme that gives leghemoglobin <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC177968/" target="_blank">its blood red color</a>. In fact, a heme — an iron-containing molecule — is what gives blood and red meat their color. Leghemoglobin is evolutionarily related to animal myoglobin found in muscle and hemoglobin in blood, and serves to regulate oxygen supply to cells.</p><p>Heme gives the Impossible Burger the appearance, cooking aroma and taste of beef. I recruited a scientific colleague in St. Louis to try out the Impossible Whopper, and he could not distinguish it from its meaty counterpart. Although he was quick to qualify this by noting all of the other stuff on the Whopper may mask any differences.</p><p>So, why aren't soybean plants red? Leghemoglobin is found in many legumes, hence its name and is highly abundant within specialized structures on the roots called nodules. If you cut open a nodule with your thumbnail, you will see that it is <a href="https://www.agronomy.org/science-news/fixing-soybeans-need-nitrogen" target="_blank">very red due to leghemoglobin</a>. The soybean nodule forms as a response to its interaction with the symbiotic bacterium <em>Bradyrhizobium japonicum</em>.</p><p>I suspect that Impossible Foods depicts a soybean without nodules on their <a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/heme" target="_blank">website</a> because people tend to be creeped out by bacteria even though <em>Bradyrhizobium</em> is beneficial.</p><p><a href="https://medicine.buffalo.edu/faculty/profile.html?ubit=mrobrian" target="_blank">My research group's</a> interest in the symbiotic relationship between the soybean and its bacterial sidekick <em>Bradyrhizobium japonicum</em> is motivated by the goal of reducing humanity's carbon footprint, but not by creating palatable veggie burgers.</p><p>The bacteria within root nodules take nitrogen from the air and convert it to a nutrient form that the plant can use for growth and sustenance – a process called nitrogen fixation. The symbiosis lessens the reliance on chemical nitrogen fertilizers, which consume a lot of fossil fuel energy to manufacture, and which also pollute the water supply.</p><p>Some research groups are interested in extending the symbiosis <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01055-16" target="_blank">by genetically engineering crops such as corn and wheat</a> so that they can reap the benefits of nitrogen fixation, which only some plants, including legumes, can do now.</p><p>I am pleasantly surprised and a little amused that esoteric terms of my vocation such as heme and leghemoglobin have found their way into the public lexicon and on the wrapper of a fast-food sandwich.</p>Is Leghemoglobin Vegan? A Non-GMO? Organic?
<p>Leghemoglobin is the ingredient that defines the Impossible Burger, but it is also the additive most closely scrutinized by those seeking assurances of it being organic, non-GMO or vegan.</p><p>The leghemoglobin used in the burgers comes from a genetically engineered yeast that harbors the DNA instructions from the soybean plant to manufacture the protein. Adding the soybean gene into the yeast then makes it a GMO. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration agrees with the "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) <a href="https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/NoticeInventory/UCM620362.pdf" target="_blank">designation of soybean leghemoglobin</a>. Nevertheless, the <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/can-gmos-be-used-organic-products" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits the "organic" label</a> for foods derived from genetically modified organisms. It is ironic that an innovation that may be eco-friendly and sustainable must be readily dismissed by groups that claim to share those goals.</p><p>Not all vegans are delighted by this new burger. Some insist that a GMO product cannot be vegan for various reasons, including <a href="https://www.nongmoproject.org/blog/tag/vegan/" target="_blank">animal testing of products such as leghemoglobin</a>. In my view, the moral certitude of that position can be challenged because it does not take into account the cattle that are spared. Other vegans view <a href="http://www.vegangmo.com/vegan-gmo-mission" target="_blank">GMOs as a solution to problems</a> that are important to them.</p><p>Judging from its website, <a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/heme" target="_blank">Impossible Foods</a> is keenly aware of the constituencies that weigh in on their product. It includes a link describing how <a href="https://medium.com/impossible-foods/how-gmos-can-save-civilization-and-probably-already-have-6e6366cb893" target="_blank">GMOs are saving civilization</a>. But they also make the misleading claim that "Here at Impossible Foods, heme is made directly from plants." In reality, it comes directly from yeast.</p><p>The commercialization of leghemoglobin represents an unanticipated consequence of inquiry into an interesting biological phenomenon. The benefits of scientific research are often unforeseen at the time of their discovery. Whether or not the Impossible Burger venture succeeds on a large scale remains to be seen, but surely food technology will continue to evolve to accommodate human needs as it has since the advent of agriculture 10,000 years ago.</p>
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Promotion of GMO-Derived Impossible Burger at World’s Largest Natural Food Trade Show Denounced as Deceptive
04 April 2019
Insights + Opinion
Impossible Foods' representatives serve up GMO Impossible Burger patties at Natural Products Expo West in March. Ken Roseboro
Natural food industry representatives and consumer advocates denounced Impossible Foods, maker of the GMO-derived Impossible Burger, for promoting their product at Natural Products Expo West, saying they were engaging in deceptive marketing.
<p>Impossible Foods served patties of their burger to attendees at the world's largest natural food trade show — but there was no mention that the product was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/gmos">genetically engineered</a> at the company's exhibit booth or in their marketing literature.</p><p>"We're disappointed that the company is using a 'natural products' show to promote its certainly not-natural product," said Frank Lampe, vice president of communications and industry relations, for the <a href="https://www.unpa.com/" target="_blank">United Natural Products Alliance</a>. "The halo effect of being perceived as natural by its presence at the show does not serve the natural products industry or its consumers and is a disingenuous move by Impossible Foods."<br/></p><p>"Hosting the Impossible Burger at Natural Products Expo West raises questions of deceptive marketing. Consumers believe 'natural' means that no artificial ingredients or genetically engineered ingredients were used," said Dana Pearls, senior food and technology policy campaigner at <a href="https://foe.org/" target="_blank">Friends of the Earth</a>.</p><p>Jim Thomas, co-executive director of <a href="http://www.etcgroup.org/" target="_blank">ETC Group</a>, which tracks new genetic engineering technologies, said Impossible Foods exhibiting at Natural Products Expo West was "like inviting in an arms manufacturer to exhibit at a peace convention."</p><p>"What were the organizers of the world's leading natural and organic show thinking when they invited in such a controversial GMO company to peddle their misleading industrial fakery?" he asked. "What's next, a booth for Bayer to promote Roundup? Shall we just start calling it Expo Whatever?"<br/></p>
<p><em>Ken Roseboro is editor and publisher of <a href="https://non-gmoreport.com/" target="_blank">The Organic & Non-GMO Report</a>, a monthly news magazine that focuses on threats posed by GM foods and the growing non-GMO food trend.</em></p>
GMO Controversy
<p>The Impossible Burger is one of several new plant-based — or in this case lab-created — meat products that provide the look and taste of meat while claiming to be more environmentally friendly than industrial meat production. The product is served in several thousand restaurants in the U.S., including chains like White Castle and The Cheesecake Factory (where it is falsely described as "natural" on the menu). <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/burger-king-to-trial-impossible-meatless-whopper-in-59-stores-2633500660.html" target="_self">Burger King</a> recently announced it would test market the Impossible Burger in 60 restaurants in St. Louis.</p><p>But the Impossible Burger has been <a href="https://www.gmoscience.org/impossible-burger-boon-risk-health-environment/" target="_blank">controversial</a> because it is made using genetic engineering. The burger's key ingredient is called heme, which is produced using a genetically engineered yeast that is fermented and multiplied. The GMO-derived heme gives the Impossible Burger its meat-like taste and red blood-like color. </p><p>In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/business/impossible-burger-food-meat.html" target="_blank">raised questions about the safety of the engineered heme</a> after Impossible Foods applied for GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status. Despite FDA's concerns, Impossible Foods put its GMO burger on the market for public consumption in 2016 anyway. Impossible Foods later submitted results from short-term rat feeding studies to the FDA and, last year, the agency said that it had no more questions about heme's safety.</p>No Transparency About Impossible Burger's GMO Ingredient
<p>Impossible Foods plans to introduce a retail version of the Impossible Burger this year, which is why they exhibited at Natural Products Expo West, according to Nick Halla, the company's chief strategy officer. He said that people at the show had been very receptive to the Impossible Burger.</p><p>But, Natural Products Expo West attendees didn't know they were eating a GMO product. Impossible Foods' exhibit booth and literature made no mention that the Impossible Burger's key ingredient, heme, is genetically engineered.</p><p>When asked why they weren't transparent about the burger being GMO, Halla said the recipe cards being given out wasn't appropriate literature for describing the genetic engineering process. But, a more detailed brochure at the booth also said nothing about GMO heme, only describing it as "magic ingredient found in all living things." Halla said Impossible Foods is transparent about its use of genetic engineering on its website.</p><p>But Lampe said Impossible Foods lack of transparency at Natural Products Expo West was unethical. "Impossible Foods is legally allowed to not provide that information to consumers. Legal? Yes. Responsible and ethical? I don't think so," Lampe commented.</p>GMO Products Allowed at Natural Products Expo West if They Don't Make "Natural" Claims
<p>So, how did a GMO food company get into the world's biggest natural food trade show? According to the <a href="https://www.newhope.com/standards?ID=1067799" target="_blank">standards for exhibitors</a> at Natural Products Expo West, a company can promote foods with GMO ingredients as long as they don't claim their products are natural.</p><p>"We don't rule out GMOs yet, because if we did we could have Natural Products Expo in my child's school gymnasium (because genetically engineered ingredients are so pervasive in the food supply)," said Michelle Zerbib, standards director at <a href="https://www.newhope.com/" target="_blank">New Hope Network</a>, which hosts Natural Products Expo West. "What we do with GMO products is that we don't allow them to market as natural, 100 percent natural or any natural claims," she said. <br></p><p>New Hope's ingredients standard for exhibitors requires the use of non-GMO yeast but only as a flavor enhancer. Impossible Foods uses a GMO yeast to make the Impossible Burger's key ingredient.</p><p>"There's a standard for (non-GMO) yeast but that's according to flavoring, not the product itself," Zerbib said.</p><p>Zerbib also admitted that New Hope Network doesn't have the staff or time to closely inspect each exhibitor's ingredients. "We just don't have the resources to do that," she said.</p><p>Lampe said it is difficult for New Hope to keep up with the growing number of products made using new genetic engineering technologies.</p><p>"Unfortunately, there are an increasing number of synbio ingredients and products already in the marketplace in foods and dietary supplements, and trying to determine show acceptance in light of the rapidly changing marketplace, with no mandated federal labeling for the new classes of GMO products and no testing protocols in place, is not an enviable task for the New Hope standards folks," Lampe said.</p>"This is Not Clean Food"
<p>Could other companies that sell GMO products like the non-browning Arctic Apple or GMO salmon also exhibit at Natural Products Expo West if they don't make natural claims? Yes, said Zerbib.</p><p>But she also said it may be time for New Hope Network to look at revising their ingredient standard as new GMO products come to market.</p><p>"We probably need to revisit it maybe take another look because there have been a lot of different technologies that have come out since we incorporated our ingredients standard in 2009," she added.</p><p>Alan Lewis, director of government affairs and food and agriculture policy for <a href="https://www.naturalgrocers.com/" target="_blank">Natural Grocers</a>, said the natural food community needs to take a strong stand against new GMO products like the Impossible Burger.</p><p>"If we are going to apply the cautionary principle to every other suspect food ingredient, then certainly synthetic heme, grown in genetically modified cultures, qualifies for scrutiny. Novel molecules and unknown ingredients have never been embraced in natural food. What are we thinking? This is not clean food," said Lewis.</p>From Your Site Articles
- Impossible Burger ›
- Impossible Burger and the Road to Consumer Distrust - EcoWatch ›
- Impossible Burger Executive Grilled at Sustainable Foods Summit ... ›
- Burger King to Trial Meat-Free Impossible Whopper - EcoWatch ›
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T.Tseng / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
By Stacy Malkan
For anyone who wonders why consumers aren't inspired to trust the GMO industry, consider this bizarre statement from Impossible Foods Chief Communications Officer Rachel Konrad in defense of the Impossible Burger, a veggie burger made more meat-like via genetically engineered yeast.
<p>Konrad was upset by a June 27 Bloomberg article <a href="https://bit.ly/2MuQvFH?cc=adeff27992d755c7a084838316c9f1dd" target="_blank"><em>Is it too early for fake meat?</em></a> that raised concerns about insufficient research, regulation and labeling in the realm of new food technologies. </p><p>Konrad took to Medium, blasting critics of the Impossible Burger as "anti-science fundamentalists" and "setting the record straight" with information she sourced from chemical industry front groups and other unreliable anti-consumer messengers who regularly communicate inaccurate information about science. </p><p>Bloomberg is not a trusted source of reporting on science, according to Konrad, because the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) <a href="https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/07/13/five-reasons-youre-right-not-trust-corporate-science-media-bloomberg-example-11551" target="_blank">says so</a>. The ACSH is a <a href="https://usrtk.org/hall-of-shame/why-you-cant-trust-the-american-council-on-science-and-health/" target="_blank">corporate front group</a> that <a href="https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/acsh-financial-summary.pdf" target="_blank">solicits money</a> from tobacco, chemical and pharmaceutical companies to defend pesticides, e-cigs, cosmetics and other toxic products that aren't likely to win over the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vegan">vegan</a> crowd. </p><p>Instead of enduring the bias of Bloomberg, Konrad tells us, we should take heart in the rise of <a href="https://usrtk.org/gmo/mark-lynas-promotes-chemical-industry-commercial-agenda/" target="_blank">Mark Lynas</a>, a promoter of GMOs and pesticides who communicates <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/doug-gurian-sherman/science-dogma-and-mark-lynas" target="_blank">inaccurate information</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130802170034/http://www.foodfirst.org/en/GMO+uproar+in+EU" target="_blank">about science</a>, <a href="https://biotechsalon.com/2015/06/16/the-absurdity-of-claiming-that-all-gmos-are-safe/" target="_blank">according to</a> <a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/sd-gmo-food-safety-utak-20180511-story.html" target="_blank">scientists</a> and <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-holt-gimenez/of-myths-and-men-mark-lyn_b_2591502.html" target="_blank">food experts</a>. </p><p>Konrad's article also links to a column by Ted Nordhaus, who sits on the board of the <a href="https://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2016/521/844/2016-521844456-0ddae559-9.pdf" target="_blank">parent organization</a> of Genetic Literacy Project, a chemical industry propaganda group that <a href="https://geneticliteracyproject.org/glp-library/?_search_bar=IARC" target="_blank">attacks cancer scientists</a> as part of its role as an "industry partner" in <a href="https://usrtk.org/gmo/monsanto-relied-on-these-partners-to-attack-top-cancer-scientists/" target="_blank">Monsanto's public relations strategy</a> to protect Roundup weed killer from cancer concerns.</p><p>The false and inflammatory messaging these front groups use to promote genetically engineered foods, defend <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pesticides">pesticides</a>, ignore health and environmental risks and silence consumer and environmental advocates goes a long way toward explaining why the GMO industry isn't winning consumer trust. </p><p>Impossible Foods had a chance to turn a new leaf. Up to now, most GMO foods have been engineered to survive the spraying of weed-killing chemicals: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/may/22/monsanto-trial-cancer-weedkiller-roundup-dewayne-johnson" target="_blank">glyphosate</a>, now <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/business/soybeans-pesticide.html" target="_blank">also dicamba</a>, and soon <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-gmo-crops-pesticide-resistance-met-20151203-story.html" target="_blank">also 2,4-D</a>, in what environmental groups call the <a href="http://www.panna.org/gmos-pesticides-profit/pesticide-treadmill" target="_blank">GMO pesticide treadmill</a>. But the <a href="https://usrtk.org/gmo/newgmos/" target="_blank">GMO industry is changing</a> with the emergence of new techniques such as CRISPR and synthetic biology. </p><p>As one of the first food companies out with a genetically engineered food product that may actually offer consumer benefits (if one likes "bleeding" veggie burgers), Impossible Foods had the opportunity to write a new story, and build trust with an open, transparent process that respects consumer concerns. They blew it. </p><p>Impossible Burger's new genetically engineered protein is new to the human food supply, and we are supposed to trust the manufacturer to vouch for its safety. But the company's process hasn't inspired trust. </p><p>Their GMO "heme" ingredient is "super safe," according to the Impossible Foods <a href="https://www.impossiblefoods.com/faq/" target="_blank">website</a>. Konrad explains in Medium, "An objective, third-party team of the nation's top food researchers unanimously concluded in 2014 that the Impossible Burger's key ingredient, soy leghemoglobin (produced by a genetically engineered yeast), is 'generally recognized as safe.' The panel made this conclusion in 2014, well before we began selling the Impossible Burger on the market in 2016."</p><p>She left out some important facts. As the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/business/impossible-burger-food-meat.html" target="_blank">New York Times reported</a> last August, when the Food and Drug Administration raised concerns that the studies presented in Impossible Foods' GRAS notification were <a href="https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/072717_Impossible_Burger_FOIA_documents.pdf" target="_blank">inadequate to establish safety</a>, the company withdrew its petition but put the burger on the market anyway. </p><p>That was within their rights, but not a way to establish confidence in their product. </p><p>Another flag: The three food researchers who wrote the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/downloads/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/gras/noticeinventory/ucm588603.pdf" target="_blank">expert panel report</a> that Impossible Foods submitted to the FDA—Joseph Borzelleca, Michael Pariza and Steve Taylor—are on a short list of scientists the "food industry turns to over and over again" to obtain GRAS status, and all three served on the <a href="http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/pzg95c00/pdf?search=%2522borzelleca%2522" target="_blank">Phillip Morris Scientific Advisory Board,</a> according to a 2015 investigation by the Center for Public Integrity, <em><a href="https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/04/15/17144/food-safety-scientists-have-ties-big-tobacco" target="_blank">The Misinformation Industry: Food safety scientists have ties to Big Tobacco</a>.</em></p><p>Borzelleca, the Center for Public Investigation reported, was the most active of the go-to scientists, having served on 41 percent of 379 panels convened in the last 17 years to review the safety of new food ingredients.</p><p>"Despite his decades of experience and praise heaped upon him by colleagues—one called him a 'wonder'—critics of the GRAS system say Borzelleca is emblematic of a system that is rife with conflicts of interest," CPI reported. "If scientists depend on the food industry for income, they may be less likely to contest the safety of ingredients companies hope to market, critics say."</p><p>"These are standing panels of industry hired guns," Laura MacCleery, an attorney for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told CPI. "It is funding bias on steroids."</p><p>But the views of critics with legitimate concerns are not welcome in the world of the Impossible Burger, according to Rachel Konrad. </p><p>Rather than blazing a new path of integrity with its new food technology, Impossible Foods has decided to follow a path well worn by many other purveyors of food additives and genetically engineered foods: rush new products to market without a transparent process or comprehensive safety reviews, then shout down anyone who raises concerns. Across our nation, people who want to know what's in their food find such arrogance distasteful.</p>
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Impossible Foods
An executive from a company selling a genetically engineered meat alternative faced tough questions at the Sustainable Foods Summit held in San Francisco at the end of January.
<p style="">Nick Halla, chief strategy officer of Impossible Foods, gave a presentation about his company's <a href="https://www.impossiblefoods.com/" target="_blank">Impossible Burger</a> as a sustainable solution to the problems of industrial meat production. He claimed their lab-created burger uses about 74 percent less water, generates about 87 percent fewer greenhouse gases and requires around 95 percent less land than conventional ground beef from cows. Halla said the Impossible Burger is seeing rapid acceptance in the marketplace, sold in many restaurants and "better burger" chains.</p><h4 style="">Doubts About Impossible Burger's Safety</h4><p style="">But Halla's PowerPoint slides didn't mention that the Impossible Burger's key ingredient is a genetically engineered protein called soy leghemoglobin or "heme." The presentation also didn't mention that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/business/impossible-burger-food-meat.html" target="_blank">U.S. Food and Drug Administration told Impossible Foods that the company hadn't demonstrated the safety of heme</a> after it applied to the FDA seeking GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status. Despite FDA's concerns, Impossible Foods sold its GMO-derived burger for public consumption anyway.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="95011" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="JNCP5F1576664103"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="900536911403659264" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">FDA Questions Safety of Impossible Burger’s Key GMO Ingredient https://t.co/d5dtFDFBdh @TrueFoodNow @GMOTruth</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/900536911403659264">1503539705.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">Several audience members took Halla to task over Impossible Foods marketing its burger despite FDA concerns, short-term feeding studies, and lack of transparency about the use of the GMO ingredient.<br></p><p style="">Mark Squire, owner and manager of <a href="https://www.genatural.com/" target="_blank">Good Earth Natural Foods</a>, said he read the FDA documents about Impossible Foods application for GRAS status and was "shocked that a company could come out with a new food additive and not have it subjected to government and long-term scrutiny."</p><p style="">Pamm Larry, director of <a href="http://www.gmofreeca.org/" target="_blank">GMO-free California</a>, asked Halla why his company had conducted such short, 14- and 28-day rat feeding studies of the product.</p><p style="">"Why did you do such short feeding studies when you know the minimum industry standard is 90 days?"</p><p style="">Ken Ross, board member of the <a href="http://www.proterrafoundation.org/" target="_blank">ProTerra Foundation</a> and a speaker at the conference, also said that the feeding studies are unacceptable.</p><p style="">"A 28-day feeding study is not impeccable science. You need a two-year feeding study," he said.</p><h4 style="">Lack of Transparency, Product Rushed to Market</h4><p style="">Larry said she spoke to several restaurants that serve the Impossible Burger but didn't know it was GMO. She also asked if Impossible Foods labels their product as GMO. Halla said his company doesn't label the product as GMO but that information about the use of genetic engineering is on the company's website.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzQ0MTE0My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NjkwMzY0Mn0.HBMLlRjVi2ou3w7Qb9DtIRn_cPdyFl5QD1Rd5nf1zn0/img.jpg?width=980" id="4a62e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6d881ac58ae630f9d8c115f61954b317" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Nick Halla, chief strategy officer of Impossible Foods, faced some tough questions recently at the Sustainable Foods Summit.</small></p><p style="">Squire said Impossible Foods was not being transparent. "I don't think people selling burgers understand (Impossible Foods') technology. There is no transparency; there is a huge information gap. Halla said 'everything is on our website.' But if you go to their website, there is very little there."<br></p><p>Ross thought that Impossible Foods rushed the Impossible Burger to market due to pressure from investors.</p><p style="">"They call the shots and want to get the product commercialized and into the market and so they aren't doing a 2-year feeding study and doing superficial short studies instead."</p><p style="">Ross told Halla that—with its questionable feeding studies and lack of transparency—Impossible Foods is repeating the same deceptions that the biotech industry has done in the past.</p><p style="">"You're speaking to an audience that has already been down that road," he said.</p><p style="">Halla seemed surprised by the tough questions.</p><p style="">"He was clearly chastened by the reaction. I don't think he thought he was coming into a hostile environment," Ross said.</p><p style="">Amarjit Sahota, president and owner of Ecovia Intelligence, organizer of the Summit, acknowledged that Halla "received a lot of criticism after his seminar."</p><p style="">"We believe the feedback and criticism Impossible Foods received will make them think twice about making claims in the future and make them more transparent about their ingredients," Sahota said.</p><p style="">Editor's Note: I sent an email to Impossible Foods asking if Nick Halla could tell me his responses to the audience's questions during the summit. I wanted to get his perspective. My email was answered by Rachel Konrad, Impossible Foods chief communications officer, who did not attend the summit.</p><p style="">In response to my question about Halla's PowerPoint slides not mentioning Impossible Foods' use of genetic engineering, Konrad wrote: "Nick talked specifically about the use of engineered yeast during his presentation." Still, "genetic engineering" was not mentioned in any of his slides.</p><p style="">Regarding the short-term animal feeding study, Konrad wrote: "Our rat-feeding study was comprehensive and statistically valid; a panel of experts reviewed the study and unanimously agreed that soy leghemoglobin is safe."</p><p style="">When asked about how employees at the burger restaurants don't know that the Impossible Burger is genetically engineered, Konrad wrote that her company provides training sessions for chefs and kitchen staff: "In these sessions, we explain the ingredients—including how we produce heme through fermentation of a genetically modified yeast."</p>
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Impossible Foods
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told the manufacturer of the meat-like Impossible Burger that the company hadn't demonstrated the safety of the product's key genetically engineered ingredient, according to internal FDA documents. Despite FDA's concerns, Impossible Foods put its GMO-derived burger on the market for public consumption.
<p><strong>GMO Ingredient Gives Product Meat-Like Taste and Red Blood-Like Color</strong></p><p>The Impossible Burger is made using a genetically engineered form of a protein called soy leghemoglobin (SLH) or "heme" that is found in the root nodules of soybean plants. Impossible Foods adds a SLH gene to a yeast strain, which is then grown in vats using a fermentation process. The SLH or heme is then isolated from the yeast and added to the Impossible Burger. Heme gives the Impossible Burger its meat-like taste and red blood-like color.</p><p>Impossible Foods claims its product "uses about 75 percent less water, generates about 87 percent fewer greenhouse gases and requires around 95 percent less land than conventional ground beef from cows. It's produced without hormones, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/antibiotics">antibiotics</a>, cholesterol or artificial flavors."</p><p>The GMO-derived Impossible Burger is sold in 43 restaurants nationwide, including several burger chains, and Impossible Foods has attracted significant funding from investors such as Bill Gates.</p><p><strong>FDA: Arguments "Do Not Establish Safety of SLH for Consumption"</strong></p><p>According to <a href="http://webiva-downton.s3.amazonaws.com/877/4f/d/10646/072717_Impossible_Burger_FOIA_documents.pdf" target="_blank">documents</a> obtained by <a href="http://www.etcgroup.org/" target="_blank">ETC Group</a> and <a href="http://www.foe.org/" target="_blank">Friends of the Earth U.S.</a> through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Impossible Foods submitted an application to seek GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for SLH from the FDA in 2014. The FDA's 1997 GRAS notification policy allows a manufacturer, like Impossible Foods, to decide for itself, without FDA input, whether or not a product is safe.</p><p>But the FDA warned Impossible Foods that SLH would not meet the basic GRAS status. The FOIA-produced documents state that the "FDA believes that the arguments presented, individually and collectively do not establish the safety of SLH for consumption, nor do they point to a general recognition of safety." </p><p>According to Michael Hansen, senior scientist at <a href="http://consumersunion.org/" target="_blank">Consumers Union</a>, Impossible Foods claimed that the engineered SLH/heme was identical to the SLH that has been in the food supply but the company had no safety testing data to back that claim.</p><p>"You are taking something that has never been in the food supply before and you come to the FDA, say it is GRAS, and you have no safety data, particularly from feeding studies," Hansen said. "Their argument has literally come down to saying this is exactly identical to the heme we've always been eating, but it's not true."</p><p>In discussion with FDA, Impossible Foods also admitted that up to a quarter of its heme ingredient was composed of 46 "unexpected" additional proteins, some of which are unidentified and none of which were assessed for safety in the dossier.</p><p>"It's only 73 percent pure, the other 27 percent is from proteins from the genetically engineered yeast that produces it, and these have an unknown function," Hansen said.</p><p>According to the FOIA documents, Impossible Foods withdrew its GRAS application in November of 2015. </p><p>Despite the FDA's warnings, Impossible Foods went ahead and started selling the Impossible Burger in 2016. </p><p>"The FDA told Impossible Foods that its burger was not going to meet government safety standards, and the company admitted it didn't know all of its constituents. Yet it sold it anyway to thousands of unwitting consumers. Responsible food companies don't treat customers this way," said Jim Thomas of ETC Group. "Impossible Foods should pull the burgers from the market unless and until safety can be established by the FDA and apologize to those whose safety it may have risked."</p><p><strong>David Bronner: "Totally Unethical to Market and Feed an Untested Protein"</strong></p><p>A recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/business/impossible-burger-food-meat.html" target="_blank">New York Times article</a> by Stephanie Strom brought the controversy over the Impossible Burger to light. </p><p>In response to the article, Impossible Foods issued a <a href="https://impossiblefoods.app.box.com/s/d5ss2z0bbd05rwgngkqswxtquim9wuhq" target="_blank">press release</a> attesting to the safety of its product. The company said that "a panel of food safety and allergy experts at three universities unanimously reaffirmed last week that soy leghemoglobin is generally recognized as safe."</p><p>Impossible Foods also said it will voluntarily provide the results of a study feeding rats SLH and "additional data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."</p><p>Yet, Impossible Foods is submitting feeding study results to the FDA after the product has been on the market for a year. </p><p>"It's very troubling that Impossible Foods has put this product on the market and, more than one year later, still has not submitted requested safety data, including a rat feeding study, to FDA," Hansen said.</p><p>David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps and plant-based foods advocate, had earlier expressed support for the Impossible Burger as a solution to environmental problems caused by <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/factory-farming">industrial meat production</a>. But the recent revelations have changed Bronner's opinion.</p><p>"While there is great potential good that the Impossible Burger could do, it's totally unethical to market and feed an untested protein to people and claim that it is identical to what we already eat," he said.</p><p><strong>Major Loopholes in FDA Food Safety Regulations</strong></p><p>The fact that companies like Impossible Foods can request GRAS status, then withdraw the application when the FDA raises concerns, and yet still put a product on the market shows major loopholes in FDA food safety regulations, according to Hansen. </p><p>"The GRAS process is so broken. It's perfectly legal for a company to say whatever compound they want to use is determined to be safe, and then put it in the food supply, and not even tell the FDA."</p><p>Another major loophole is that, while FDA conducts reviews of genetically engineered plants and animals, the agency doesn't review products made using genetically engineered microorganisms like the Impossible Burger's heme.</p><p>"The FDA doesn't even request safety data," Hansen said. </p><p>Hansen believes the GMO heme should be regulated as a color additive because Impossible Foods promotes heme's ability to give the burger a blood-red color like meat. The FDA requires safety assessments of color additives. </p><p>"If it affects color and marketability, it meets the definition of a color additive and should be regulated as such," he said. </p>
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