Announcement at Ces in Las Vegas: the Californian company has managed to replicate the most eaten meat in the world, which opens its doors to the gigantic Chinese market. And also to the Arab and Israeli one
On wake of the Impossible Burger (photo), the Impossible Pork (pork) and the Impossible Sausage (sausage) do not contain animal proteins and hormones, are gluten-free, are mainly made of soy and use the Leghemoglobin, a genetically “enhanced” yeast, to obtain the appearance and flavor of the meat. For the American company (the headquarters are in Redwood City, in California), the two new products are particularly important because they are the answer to the counterparts of the main competitor, which is called Beyond Meat: in September 2019, Il Secolo XIX tried one of its burgers, finding it practically identical to the “real” one (photo).
video: the announcement of the Impossible Pork
Why present them at Ces?
Yes, but why the Impossible ones decided to introduce them to Las Vegas? Beyond the question of the audience, which is decidedly wide and also open to novelties, there is above all the fact that this food has so much behind it Research is technology to rival that of any smartphone (video below): born in 2011, the company made its Burger debut only 5 years later, only after the managers were satisfied with the final result. And after raising (and presumably spent) about $ 100 million from lenders around the world, as well declined an offer to buy from Google that would have been close to $ 300 million.
video: Impossible Burger technology
Why is the “pig move” important?
In addition to allowing Impossible to counter the rival Beyond, the “no pork” and the “no sausage” open up to the company a huge catchment area. Not only is this meat the most consumed worldwide, along with chicken (they cover almost 70% of the market, UN data), but it is also widely used in oriental cuisine, so much so that in China more than 50 million tons are produced per year: succeeding in replacing it would be important from an ecological point of view (for the now known polluting effects that farms have on the environment) and also ethical (to reduce the number of pigs forced to become food, which in Italy there are over 11 million a year). As well as a million dollar business, of course. Also because the fact that the Impossible Pork is “plant-based” makes it suitable for certification Halal is kosher, therefore eatable also for those of Islamic or Jewish religion: the American company has already started the practices to obtain this recognition.
our world in data: pork production in the world
Where can the Impossible Pork be eaten?
Impossible Foods products are not yet available in Italy (but many other types of “non meat” yes), however you can taste in over 7 thousand Burger King on American territory. More: in 139 outlets of the fast food giant in 5 American states (Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and New Mexico), you can already try the “non sausage” in the new Impossible Croissan’wich, a cross between a croissant and a sandwich. For those who “can’t really give up on pancetta”, not even at breakfast …
