Impossible Foods

Impossible Foods Inc.
Company type	Privately held company
Industry	Food industry, Plant-based meat substitutes
Founded	2011
Founder	Patrick O. Brown
Headquarters	Redwood City, California, United States
Area served	United States (and international expansion efforts)
Key people	Peter McGuinness (CEO), Dennis Woodside (President)
Products	Impossible Burger, Impossible Pork, Impossible Chicken, plant-based meat alternatives
Website	impossiblefoods.com

Impossible Foods Inc. is a privately held enterprise established in 2011 by Stanford biochemistry professor Patrick O. Brown. Based in Redwood City, California, the company focuses on creating plant-based alternatives to traditional meat products. Its leading offering, the Impossible Burger, debuted in July 2016 as a vegan substitute designed to replicate ground beef.

The firm broadened its reach through collaborations with prominent chains such as Burger King, which rolled out the Impossible Whopper nationwide by mid-2019. Beyond burgers, Impossible Foods manufactures plant-based chicken and pork items, aiming to meet the rising consumer interest in alternative protein sources.

Company and product history

Initially, Impossible Foods investigated plant-based replacements for chicken, pork, fish, and dairy but ultimately concentrated on developing a ground beef alternative for use in burgers. The Impossible Burger is crafted from plant-sourced components and boasts environmental benefits, including 95% less land use, 74% reduced water consumption, and an 87% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional beef production.

In January 2019, the company unveiled the upgraded Impossible Burger 2.0, which improved flavor and texture to enhance consumer acceptance. By May 2019, Little Caesars added Impossible’s inaugural plant-based sausage to select pizzas in multiple states following extensive development involving over 50 iterations. Marketed also as Impossible Pork, this sausage product launched more broadly in January 2020.

Further expanding its product line, Impossible Foods introduced Impossible Chicken toward the end of 2021, strengthening its position within the competitive plant-based protein sector. Leadership includes CEO Peter McGuinness and President Dennis Woodside, who oversee strategic initiatives aimed at scaling international operations and boosting market penetration.

Production and ingredients

Distinct from many plant-based meat alternatives, the Impossible Burger incorporates heme, a molecule responsible for blood’s red color and oxygen transport in living organisms. Heme is plentiful in animal muscle tissue and naturally present in plants—especially nitrogen-fixing species and legumes. The heme molecule utilized in the Impossible Burger is identical to that found in animal meat.

Impossible Foods obtains heme from leghemoglobin found in soy root nodules. To manufacture it at commercial scale, the company genetically modifies yeast and employs a fermentation process akin to beer brewing.

Nutritionally, the Impossible Burger provides higher protein content, reduced total fat, zero cholesterol, and fewer calories than a comparable beef patty. However, it contains elevated levels of sodium and saturated fat relative to an unseasoned beef patty.

Food safety approval

In 2014, Impossible Foods declared leghemoglobin as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) following evaluations overseen by the FDA. The company submitted additional documentation to the FDA during 2017 and 2018. In July 2018, the FDA issued a "no questions" letter affirming the safety of the heme protein for consumption based on expert panel assessment.

Initially, FDA approval covered only restaurant-cooked Impossible Burgers while soy leghemoglobin underwent further evaluation as a food coloring agent for uncooked products. By July 2019, the FDA authorized its use as a colorant in raw foods, allowing grocery store sales of Impossible Burgers starting that September. This decision was reaffirmed by the FDA in December 2019 after addressing safety concerns.

In May 2021, a federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the FDA’s ruling, confirming substantial evidence supporting heme’s safety in Impossible Burgers. This regulatory endorsement has been instrumental in facilitating Impossible Foods’ expansion and distribution efforts.

In restaurants

During 2016 and 2017, Impossible Foods manufactured Impossible Burgers at facilities in Redwood City, California and at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Due to limited early production capacity, these burgers were not yet offered in retail outlets.

The New York restaurant Momofuku Nishi, owned by David Chang, introduced the Impossible Burger to its menu in July 2016. By October that year, select California eateries such as Jardinière and Cockscomb in San Francisco, along with Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles, had added the burger as a permanent menu option. The Michelin-starred Public, led by chef Brad Farmerie, incorporated the burger in January 2017.

In March 2017, Impossible Foods revealed plans for its first major production facility located in Oakland, California, aiming to produce one million pounds of plant-based burger meat each month. The Impossible Burger then launched at several franchise chains including Bareburger (New York City), Umami Burger (California), and Hopdoddy (Texas). By April 2018, White Castle rolled out the Impossible Burger across all 377 of its locations.

Two years following its initial New York introduction, by July 2018 the Impossible Burger was available at approximately 3,000 venues throughout the United States and Hong Kong. By the close of 2018, it was featured on menus at around 5,000 restaurants nationwide.

In April 2019, Burger King conducted a test launch of the Impossible Whopper using Impossible patties in the St. Louis area. The company announced plans for a nationwide release by the end of that year, which was accomplished by August 2019.

Retail

The Impossible Burger made its grocery store debut in October 2019, initially appearing at Southern California's Gelson's. By May 2020, availability had expanded to major retailers such as Fairway Market, Wegman's, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons, and Safeway across California and Nevada, along with various Kroger-owned chains. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA permitted restaurants to sell Impossible beef alternatives directly to consumers with enhanced labeling requirements.

By July 2020, Impossible Burger patties were offered at Trader Joe's and roughly 2,100 Walmart stores nationwide. Furthermore, Impossible sausage sandwiches became available through leading chains including Burger King and Starbucks, extending the company's reach within both retail and foodservice markets.

Financing

Impossible Foods has attracted substantial investment rounds totaling hundreds of millions from entities like Google Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Viking Global Investors, UBS, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's Horizons Ventures, and philanthropist Bill Gates. Founder Patrick Brown is reported to have declined a $300 million acquisition proposal in 2015.

In August 2017, following key achievements, the company secured an additional $75 million in funding with Bill Gates reinvesting. By April 2018, another $114 million was raised led by Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and Hong Kong’s Sailing Capital, increasing total capital to $372 million. A $300 million investment in May 2019 elevated the firm's valuation to $2 billion. On March 16, 2020, an infusion of $500 million was obtained to support growth during the COVID-19 crisis.

To date, Impossible Foods has amassed $1.3 billion over twelve funding rounds. In August 2020, it raised another $200 million through a private round led by existing investor Coatue. These capital injections have driven innovation and global expansion efforts within the plant-based food sector.

Popularity and cultural impact

According to Business Insider, the Impossible Burger is "a burger that satisfies even the most ardent meat-lovers," while Vox described its flavor as "pretty beefy," contributing to its popularity among culinary enthusiasts.

The Impossible Burger expanded its consumer base by obtaining Kosher certification in May 2018 and Halal certification in December 2018. In 2019, TIME included Impossible Burger 2.0 in its list of the 100 Best Inventions, and Engadget honored it with 'Most Impactful Product' and 'Best of the Best' awards at CES 2019. Furthermore, at the COP25, Impossible Foods was recognized with a UN Global Climate Action Award for 'Planetary Health'. TIME also acknowledged Impossible Pork as one of the 100 Best Inventions in 2020.

LightLife, a brand specializing in meat alternatives, publicly criticized competitors Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods for employing "hyperprocessed" ingredients. Impossible Foods responded by dismissing these claims as a "disingenuous, desperate disinformation campaign."

The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), an organization supported by the meat industry, launched advertising campaigns targeting Impossible Foods over additive use in plant-based meats, including a commercial aired during Super Bowl LIV. In retaliation, Impossible Foods released a parody advertisement highlighting contamination concerns associated with ground beef, reinforcing its position within the plant-based meat sector.

External links