This Veggie Burger Tastes So Much Like Meat, It's Freaky

From Delish

Impossible Foods is marketing its plant-based burgers to meat-lovers, not vegetarians or vegans.

To appeal to veg-heads would be "a complete waste in terms of our mission," CEO Pat Brown told Recode in a recent episode of the "Too Embarrassed to Ask" podcast.

That's part of why the patty "bleeds," and is made with soy leghemoglobin, giving it a juicy, hamburger-like texture. This ingredient hasn't been fully approved by the FDA, though, and the agency is still questioning whether it contains allergens, given that it hasn't previously been consumed by humans, the NY Times reports.

Soy leghemoglobin is a substance found in nature in the roots of soybean plants, and while the FDA hasn't found it to be unsafe, they haven't officially approved it for human consumption either.

Food companies don't have to get FDA approval before launching new products, but an Impossible Foods spokesperson said they wanted to do so in order to remain as transparent as possible to consumers and achieve "Generally Recognized As Safe" status by the FDA.

In a statement, an Impossible Foods spokesperson said the veggie burgers are "entirely safe to eat" and "fully compliant with all FDA regulations."

Critics are saying this is another example of tech companies pushing ahead without regard to regulation, and that the company should've waited to get full FDA approval before selling the burgers to restaurants.

Impossible Foods is resubmitting their petition to the FDA this month with new research attached, so hopefully a decision as to the burgers' safety will be made soon after.

The meatless burgers are already served at several restaurants including Momofuku Nishi and Umami Burger, and Brown hopes they'll be on grocery store shelves within the next few years.

The company is also working on engineering authentic-tasting alternatives to steak, chicken, fish, and eggs in order to combat the rising level of global meat consumption and its negative impact on the planet.

Those who have tried the burger say it lives up to its promise taste-wise, while others contend the price point isn't worth it.

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