With growing concerns among consumers about the health risks involved in consuming meat and animal welfare, the FDA has approved a key ingredient Impossible Food uses to make its burgers look and “bleed” like real meat. Soy leghemoglobin, a protein-based color additive which is found in the root nodules of plants has been deemed safe by the FDA. The burger patties can now be sold in the U.S. grocery stores. “We’ve always gone above and beyond to comply with every food-safety regulation and to provide maximum transparency about our ingredients so that our customers can have 100% confidence in our product,” said Impossible Food’s chief legal officer, Dana Wagner.
Impossible Foods was already selling the cooked burgers in restaurants across the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau but now the patties can also be sold in their raw, uncooked form. People are becoming more health and environment-conscious and looking to include more plant-based protein in their diet. This trend has sparked the interest of meat companies like Tyson Foods Inc and Perdue Foods which now offer meat protein products mixed with plants.