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Many nuggets of info in this article, titled: “The Promise and Problem of Fake Meat” | The New Republic newrepublic.com/article/153998…
Thread: Traditional meat products usually have 1 ingredient. Impossible Burger has 21 ingredients, and the Beyond Burger has 22. Impossible’s main contents are soy protein isolate, sunflower oil, and coconut oil; Beyond’s are pea protein isolate, coconut oil, and canola oil. /1
The oil in each product is supposed to mimic beef’s fat content; the soy and pea proteins mimic the protein content. Both plant-based burgers contain water, salt, and the binding agent methylcellulose. /2
Most notable ingredient-related difference is that Impossible uses genetically modified soy protein, drawing criticism from anti-GMO groups. Impossible also uses genetically modified soy leghemoglobin, also known as “heme”, which gives it’s meaty flavor & blood-like drippings. /3
Heme wasn’t considered safe for consumption by the FDA until last summer, and Impossible still must go through the regulatory process for getting heme approved as a color additive, which will be required if the company wants to sell the uncooked patty in grocery stores. /4
When, during a recent NPR 1A interview we were both guests on, I asked the president of Impossible, Pat Brown, “why Impossible is sold only in restaurants but not in retail”, he responded that they simply can’t produce fast enough to meet demand. He left out the FDA piece. /5
