Traditionally, meat alternatives taste and feel like vegetables but in recent years, companies have turned their attention to making meat out of vegetables that taste exactly like meat. Namely two companies have been leading the charge: Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. These two companies have both achieved widespread retail success as many supermarkets and restaurants carry their products. However, controversies would soon arise regarding the safety of these products due to the “unnatural” goal it pursues. In this blog, we will be focussing on the safety of consuming Impossible foods.
What is an Impossible burger?
Impossible burgers are one of the first veggie patties designed to taste and feel exactly like the real thing. This means replicating everything from the texture to the colour. Impossible Foods does this by using soy for the protein, heme for the flavour, coconut and sunflower oil for the sizzle on the grill and food starch to hold everything together. Although these ingredients are common across many veggie meat companies, what sets Impossible Foods apart is its heme. Heme is one of the main determinants of flavour in beef and additionally gives blood its red colour. Impossible Foods, using genetic modification, have been able to harness heme to give their patties a meat-like taste and specifically replicate the blood that oozes out of real meat patties. However, this uniqueness is also what is causing the controversy.
The Safety of Heme
Heme is a non-protein molecule that gives blood its red colour and allows Impossible burgers to taste, smell and appear like real meat. It is also the source of controversies surrounding Impossible burgers. Heme naturally appears in soy plants but Impossible foods use a genetically modified version to get the best results. This has resulted in the classification of Impossible burgers as non-organic despite their complete vegan makeup. Furthermore, the addition of heme acts counterintuitively to the health benefits touted by Impossible. Studies have shown that heme iron in meat correlates with an increased possibility of estrogen and stomach cancer. The use of GMOs has also come under fire with worries about unknown consequences due to a lack of testing. The lack of information has hindered Impossible foods. In order for meat alternatives to become more prominent, questions about safety must be answered.
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