Impossible Foods Accelerates Retail Expansion with Kroger 

Impossible Foods is accelerating its retail expansion this week with the rollout of its flagship product at more than 1,700 grocery stores nationwide owned by The Kroger Co., America’s largest grocery retailer.

In addition to grocery shelves at Kroger-affiliated brick-and-mortar stores, Impossible Burger is also available starting today for online ordering through Kroger.com for Kroger Curbside Pickup and Delivery.

The rollout of Impossible Burger at Kroger represents a 18-fold increase in Impossible Foods’ retail footprint so far in 2020. The company’s award-winning, plant-based meat is now on shelves in about...

Impossible Foods Confirms Approximately $500 Million in New Funding

Impossible Foods confirmed today that it has secured approximately $500 million in its latest funding round, led by new investor Mirae Asset Global Investments, with participation from existing investors including Khosla Ventures, Horizons Ventures, and Temasek. The industry-leading food-tech startup has raised nearly $1.3 billion since its founding in 2011.

Impossible Foods will use the funds in part to invest in fundamental research and innovation; accelerate its manufacturing scaleup; expand its retail presence and its availability in key international markets; and accelerate commercialization of next-generation products including Impossible Sausage Made From Plants and Impossible Pork Made From Plants.

“With this latest round of fundraising, Impossible Foods has the resources to accelerate growth -- and continue to thrive in a volatile macroeconomic environment, including the current COVID-19 pandemic,” said Impossible Foods’ Chief Financial Officer David Lee.

Scaleup Accelerates

The new funding closely follows the launch of the company’s latest next-generation products...

Impossible Foods Partners with The Halal Shack to Serve Halal Certified Cuisine 

Impossible Foods has announced its latest national restaurant partner: The Halal Shack. With 8 locations in New York, California and Texas and 25 more locations in development nationally, The Halal Shack combines the best of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors with a classic American spin for a delicious and unique dining experience. Impossible Burger meat will be available as a filling for any menu item, and can be added to Bowls, gyros, Wraps and Salads.

The Impossible Burger first became halal certified in 2018, and Halal Shack is the latest to benefit from this certification. The word “halal” derives from the Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted, as opposed to “haram” or prohibited. Halal meats are sourced and prepared in accordance with...

Impossible Burger Named the Preferred Plant Based Burger of Disney Parks and Cruises 

Impossible Foods announces a new strategic alliance today with Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. As part of the alliance, the food tech startup’s flagship product – Impossible Burger – will be designated as the “Preferred Plant-Based Burger” of Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disney Cruise Line.

On February 28, Disney will debut Impossible Foods menu items at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, including:

• Petite Impossible Burger with Guac and Pepper Jack Cheese at Avocado Time Marketplace
• Impossible Cheeseburger Mac & Cheese at Nuts About Cheese Marketplace
• Impossible Meatball Submarine at...

White Castle to Complement Impossible Slider with Dairy-Free Cheese at Select Locations

White Castle will soon become one of the first fast-food hamburger chains in the U.S. to offer a dairy-free alternative to cheddar cheese. White Castle announced that it will launch the non-dairy product on March 1 in its New Jersey and New York City restaurants.

Customers will be able to order dairy free cheddar to top any slider, including the Impossible Slider, the plant-based slider that White Castle introduced in April 2018 as a test item and then launched as a permanent menu item five months later.

"Our Impossible Slider was an instant Craver favorite, but it's about to get a new dimension with...

NCBA Releases Consumer Research Showing Widespread Confusion About Contents of Plant-Based Fake Meat

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today released survey results that show widespread consumer confusion regarding the ingredient composition and purported benefits of plant-based fake meat products.

In an online survey of more than 1,800 consumers, less than half of the respondents understood the labeling term “plant-based beef” was intended to describe an entirely vegetarian or vegan food product. One major source of confusion uncovered by NCBA’s research is that approximately one third of surveyed consumers believed that plant-based fake meat products contained at least some real beef in them. When asked to evaluate specific product labels and marketing materials from some of the leading plant-based fake beef products currently on the market, the results were astonishing...

Rabobank Talks Alternative Protein Surprises

Rabobank kicks off the first note of the decade by sharing some of the main highlights from their annual ‘We Didn’t See That Coming’ survey of food trends. At the end of every year, for the past five years, Rabobank has asked in confidence the simple but highly revealing question: “In the world of food, what surprised you the most over the last twelve months?”

The main surprise can be summed up as the ‘the rapid growth and consumer acceptance of alternative proteins.’ For ease of digestion Rabobank has broken it into four sections...

Burger King Adds the Impossible Whopper to the 2 for $6 Lineup

Burger King restaurants are jazzing up the popular 2 for $6 promotion, now with the Impossible Whopper sandwich. Available for a limited time only, guests can choose between the Impossible Whopper, Spicy Crispy Chicken, Crispy Chicken and Whopper sandwich.

“We are excited to offer our guests a plant-based product like the Impossible Whopper as part of our 2 for $6 promotion,” said Chris Finazzo, President, North America, Burger King Corporation. “This unbeatable deal gives friends and family a new reason to come in and try the Impossible Whopper and other BK favorites at an amazing value.”

Burger King restaurants rolled out the Impossible Whopper sandwich with a patty made from plants nationwide last year following...

Impossible Foods CEO Criticizes Meat Industry; Intends to Replace Animals for Food Production

Pat Brown, CEO of Impossible Foods, criticized the meat industry in a recent interview, calling it "the most destructive technology on Earth by far." Brown added that the company's ultimate goal is to completely replace animals as a form of food with plant-based products by the year 2035. Impossible Foods currently offers a plant-based beef burger, and a new sausage product will be offered at various Burger King locations across the United States for testing this month. The company also announced that it will introduce ground pork and sausage, but there is no word on availability at this time. With beef and pork alternatives becoming readily available to consumers, Brown stated that poultry options are on the way as well.

Brown claims that Impossible Foods is so important because of the impact the meat industry has on the environment. However, testifying on behalf of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association at a U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on climate change in May, Kansas cattle producer Debbie Lyons-Blythe delivered a clear message...

NPPC: Impossible Pork is Impossible; Violates Labelling Law 

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) today called Impossible Foods’ naming convention for its plant-based products designed to mimic real pork a brazen violation of labelling law. Citing law that prohibits the use of words that redefine pork as it has been known by consumers for centuries, Dr. Dan Kovich, director of science and technology for the National Pork Producers Council, issued the following statement:

“What’s impossible is to make pork from plants. This is a brazen attempt to circumvent decades of food labelling law and centuries of precedence. Any adjective placed in front of the word pork can...

Burger King Tests the Impossible Croissan’wich

Burger King restaurants announces today it is testing the new Impossible Croissan’wich sandwich. Starting late January in select test markets across the U.S. market, BK guests can now get the same breakfast Croissan’wich sandwich they know and love with a plant-based patty. The all-new, limited-time-only Impossible Croissan’wich features a toasted croissant, egg, cheese and a seasoned plant-based sausage from Impossible Foods. This test makes Burger King the first restaurant to test Impossible Sausage made from plants on a breakfast sandwich.

Participating Burger King restaurants in Savannah, GA, Albuquerque, NM, Montgomery, AL, Lansing, MI and Springfield, IL will be testing the Impossible Croissan’wich. The Impossible Croissan’wich is made with...

Elevation Burger Debuts Impossible Burger and Dairy-Free Daiya Cheddar Style Slices Nationwide

FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc., parent company of Elevation Burger, known for serving 100% organic, grass-fed, free-range beef burgers and fresh fries cooked in heart-healthy olive oil, is pleased to announce all domestic locations across America will now carry the plant-based Impossible™ Burger as well as dairy-free Daiya Cheddar Style Slices.

Elevation Burger’s nationwide launch of the Impossible Burger and dairy-free Daiya Cheddar Style Slices demonstrates the brand's commitment to serving customers of all dietary preferences. The Impossible™ Burger handles, cooks and tastes like ground beef — but is made entirely from plants — while each Daiya Cheddar Style Slice delivers the same incredible melt and slight sharpness as dairy-based cheese that pairs perfectly with...

DoorDash and Impossible Foods Partner to Launch Impossible Cuisine Category 

Impossible Foods, maker of the famously delicious Impossible Burger, today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with DoorDash, the nation’s largest on-demand destination for door-to-door delivery. DoorDash has created a custom cuisine carousel featuring merchants that offer Impossible menu items in select US cities including San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, D.C., Detroit, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Dallas, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Orlando, Houston, Pittsburgh, Bellevue, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Central Illinois — powering the discovery of even more delicious Impossible food.

DoorDash’s carousels provide discovery and education for customers looking to pair their cravings with comparable restaurants. This is the first time DoorDash has created a plant-based carousel, which will feature...

Impossible Burger Sales Skyrocket at Retail Debut 

After its highly anticipated retail debut, the Impossible Burger remains the number one item sold at grocery stores on the East and West coasts where the product is offered. The flagship product from Impossible Foods made its worldwide debut in grocery stores on September 20th at all outlets of Gelson's Markets in Southern California. Since its launch, Gelson’s has sold more Impossible Burgers than all types of ground beef, based on both revenue and total number of pounds sold. On September 26th, the Impossible Burger became available in all 100 outlets of Wegmans on the East coast, including seven states and two Fairway locations in New York City. The Impossible Burger became the number one single item sold in the meat department at Fairway's two Manhattan locations.

Also, during the product's first full weekend on stores shelves in Southern California, the Impossible Burger outsold by more than...

Impossible Foods to Make East Coast Grocery Debut 

After a record-shattering launch on the West Coast, the Impossible Burger will make its East Coast grocery store debut today at all 100 Wegmans locations in seven states, and at two Manhattan locations of Fairway Market. Though widely available in restaurants since 2016, the Impossible Burger first appeared in grocery stores just last week, when it debuted at all 27 of Gelson's Markets in Southern California. During its first full week on sale, the Impossible Burger outsold ground beef based on both revenue and total number of pounds at Gelson's. In fact, the Impossible Burger was the number one packaged good sold at Gelson's from Friday through Sunday across the 27 stores.

Rob McDougall, CEO of Gelson's Markets, said, "The Impossible Burger generated more excitement than any other single product we’ve seen in more than a half-century of operations. In addition to exceptional sales and volume, the launch initiated...

Impossible Foods Makes Retail Debut 

Impossible Foods announced that the alternative meat company will make its debut in grocery stores on Friday at all 27 Gelson's Markets in Southern California. This is the first time that the general public will be able to buy and experience the Impossible Burger at home. The Impossible Burger is the plant-based meat that rivals ground beef, and is on menus in more than 17,000 restaurants. However, home chefs never had a chance to work with the Impossible Burger, until now.

Throughout the fourth quarter and in early 2020, Impossible Foods will expand its retail presence by launching the Impossible Burger in industry-leading grocery stores in key regions. Impossible Foods will launch in additional grocery stores later this...

Sodexo Launches Impossible Burger Menu at More than 1,500 U.S. Locations

Sodexo will be debuting a new product line featuring the Impossible Burger at more than 1,500 locations in the United States. The new menu will launch on August 19th with eight plant-based products, including a sausage muffin sandwich, sausage gravy and biscuits, steakhouse burger, and creole burger. The menu will be offered at colleges, universities, healthcare, and corporate services accounts.

Rob Morasco, Sodexo's Senior Director of Culinary Development, said, "Sodexo is committed to providing customers with more plant-forward and sustainable options as part of their diet, and we are excited to expand our menu to include the Impossible Burger's flavorful blend, which will...

Burger King to Launch the Impossible Whopper Nationwide

Burger King restaurants announced today that it is bringing the plant-based Impossible Whopper sandwich nationwide this month. Starting on August 8, guests across the nation will be able to visit their local BK restaurant, or order for delivery via the BK App and through DoorDash, to try the Impossible Whopper for a limited time only and decide for themselves if it delivers the same flame-grilled, juicy craveability of the famous Whopper sandwich.

The Impossible Whopper is 100% Whopper, 0% beef. It features a flame-grilled patty made from plants topped with freshly sliced tomatoes and onions, crisp lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup and zesty pickles on a toasted sesame seed bun.

“We are really excited to be able to offer our new Impossible Whopper to our guests across the country at an unbeatable value for a limited time,” said Chris Finazzo, President, North America, Burger King Corporation. “Since we first launched our market tests in St. Louis in April, and...

FDA Authorizes Soy Leghemoglobin as a Color Additive

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the color additive regulations to provide for the safe use of soy leghemoglobin as a color additive in ground beef analogue products (e.g., “veggie” burgers). The FDA is taking this action in response to a color additive petition submitted by Impossible Foods, Inc. requesting FDA to issue a regulation listing the use of soy leghemoglobin as a color additive in food.

This final rule is in response to a color additive petition submitted by Impossible Foods, Inc., filed on November 5, 2018. The FDA reviewed the information and data submitted by the firm, as well as other relevant information, and concluded...