I think it was just before COVID that I first became aware of a buzzy, new product called the IMPOSSIBLE BURGER. Supposedly, this plant-based patty smelled, tasted and cooked like real ground beef.
Initially they were somewhat hard to find in supermarkets around town. But eventually I was able to snag a green-colored bag of 6 perfectly preformed Impossible Burgers. After rounding out my purchase with brioche buns, a red onion and an heirloom tomato, I returned home to see what all the buzz was about.
I’ll have to admit that I was skeptical because most burger substitutes that I had tried in the past had not been very good. Nevertheless, I fired up my cast-iron skillet and slapped down two of these new-fangled patties.
SURPRISE! SURPRISE!!
They SPATTERED, SIZZLED, SEARED and BLED…just like real hamburgers.
And after building up the bun with my grocery-store garnishments, I carefully placed my juicy “burger” on top and capped it with the pillowy-soft toasted brioche.
I cracked a beer and grabbed my creation with both hands, took a big bite…and…
Guess what? It was BEEFY, WARM, FATTY, NAUGHTY and had just the right amount of MOUTHFEEL and CHEW.
I can’t say that I was hooked, but I became a semi-regular eater of Impossible Burgers.
It wasn’t long before they became a staple in most every supermarket…although not without controversy. Some meat departments didn’t want the product displayed beside actual hamburger. The frozen food folks wanted to merchandize them with other iterations of veggie burgers. And, in recognition of Impossible Burgers’ popularity, some grocery store operators displayed them in a stand-alone case.
I didn’t care.
Neither did families…who liked the “burgers” and might have been swayed by claims – echoed by their kids – that plant-based patties are better for the environment and definitely better for the cows.
Fast food restaurants soon got on the Impossible Burger Express. BURGER KING introduced the Impossible Whopper. APPLEBEE’S embraced the Impossible. McDONALD’S tested the Impossible Big Mac in Sweden but swiftly came to the conclusion that the manufacturer would not be able to keep up with the demand. So McDonald’s created its own version of an Impossible burger, dubbed the “McPlant.”
Mmmm, McPlant!
KFC couldn’t be left behind. It tested an outlet with an entire menu of PLANT-BASED CHICKEN. I think that was the one-and-only store they tried. It didn’t work.
What did work was Impossible Burgers at WHITE CASTLE. To my knowledge, the little plant-based sliders are still offered.
But sometime around 2023 and 2024, the bloom came off the rose.
Consumer excitement hit a wall. Perhaps Impossible Burgers were too expensive. Perhaps there just weren’t enough consumers who wanted meat alternatives.
But more than that, questions surfaced around safety and nutrition. Yes, Impossible Burgers were low in cholesterol and high in fiber, calcium, and potassium. But among scientists, nutritionists and even the general public, concerns were rising due to the product’s ULTRA PROCESSED nature – particularly its use of untested modified GMO yeast and GMO soybeans. While those concerns weren’t especially worrisome to the FDA, which declared the product safe in 2018, the public seemed to conclude that Impossible Burgers were at once healthy and potentially unhealthy.
Consumer ambivalence raised concern among investors. Did Impossible Burger’s wealthy backers (such as Bill Gates and various hedge funds) step in to stop the bleeding?
As far as I can tell, the biggest change has been a shift in packaging. The plant-green labels are out and red-meat red is in. That may help a little bit.
At our GOOD EARTH restaurant, here in Edina, Minnesota, we choose not to offer Impossible Burgers. Our customers prefer our “CLEAN,” all-natural PLANET BURGERS. A top seller for 40 years, they’re made from a backbone of adzuki beans, sunflower seeds and toasted cashews, seasoned with secret herbs and spices. We hand make ‘em in-house with no additives and no preservatives…..and NO GMO’S.
So, are meat substitutes just a fad? Will they bounce back? Will Impossible Burgers and vegan alternatives exist side by side? And what’s the outlook for thick, charred, chewy, juicy, real-beef burgers? Will environmentalists reject them in enough numbers to alter an industry?
Or will they end up creating an IMPOSSIBLE BURGER that doesn’t involve the ULTRA PROCESSED GMO’S and still delivers that remarkable BEEFY, BEEFY FLAVOR ?
DUNNO…
WTF,
Phil