“Impossible Foods Expands Plant-Based Offerings with Rapid Launch of Impossible Sausage”
While Impossible Foods created its plant-based alternative to the traditional beef hamburger several years ago, the formulation of its plant-based sausage was approached quite differently. Laura Kliman, a senior flavor scientist at Impossible Foods, highlighted the distinctions between the flagship Impossible Burger and the new Impossible Sausage during a virtual press conference on Monday. Officially launched in January, Impossible Sausage has become widely accessible to consumers, appearing in breakfast menus at Burger King and Starbucks, and is now available for sale in any restaurant across the United States.
These precooked plant-based sausage patties share many of the same ingredients as the burgers, including soy protein, sunflower oil, coconut oil, and soy leghemoglobin—the genetically modified component that creates plant-based heme, which Impossible Foods claims enhances the meat-like flavor of its products. However, Kliman noted that Impossible Sausage does not contain potato starch, primarily due to the differing texture and characteristics of traditional pork sausage. Ground pork lacks the robust flavor of beef; as a white meat, it necessitates less heme than the Impossible Burger. Kliman explained that the elements that make sausage recognizable to consumers include the subtle meat flavor, the accompanying seasonings, the softer texture, and the fatty mouthfeel. “Sausage is typically more springy and bouncy, while beef tends to be firmer and tougher,” she stated. “We are able to replicate those essential texture attributes by adapting our plant-based building blocks, ensuring consumers have the experience they expect from sausage.”
Kliman emphasized that while Impossible Sausage imitates the experience of pork sausage, it is also healthier. It contains the same amount of protein as its animal-based equivalent, along with 60% more iron, 45% fewer calories, and 60% less total fat. At the press conference, Impossible Foods CEO and founder Pat Brown stated that the company would never launch a plant-based product that isn’t a worthy substitute for its animal counterpart. This commitment is reflected in the choice of the first independent restaurants to feature Impossible Sausage on their menus—30 top diners recognized by consumer review site Yelp. These diners embody a slice of Americana and offer a comforting breakfast experience, serving as a testing ground for plant-based sausage.
Brown noted that meat lovers are central to Impossible Foods’ mission of eliminating the need for animal agriculture by 2035, which means all products must appeal to them. Although he holds no animosity towards vegans or vegetarians, he asserted that the primary target audience for their products is hardcore carnivores. “That’s the only customer we care about because our mission is to replace the most destructive technology in human history—using animals for food—with superior plant-based technology,” Brown explained. “You don’t achieve that by creating better food for vegetarians.”
Though Impossible Burger has reached a point of ubiquity in restaurants and grocery stores, it took time to get there. The much-anticipated burger debuted in 2016 at a single restaurant—New York’s Momofuku Nishi—and gradually expanded to other high-end venues. Quick-service restaurants and more casual chains didn’t begin offering the Impossible Burger until 2018, and it only arrived in grocery stores last year. Given that Impossible Foods introduced the sausage product in January, the rollout has been remarkably swift. According to Konrad, Impossible Sausage is now present in over 22,000 restaurants across the United States, and the company is prepared to expand further.
Brown attributed this rapid growth to Impossible Foods’ continuous scaling efforts. As the Impossible Burger gained traction, the company enhanced its supply chain and forged partnerships with some of the largest co-packers in the country to produce the products consumers desire. “We’ve been developing not just the infrastructure for scale, but a comprehensive system designed to enable rapid scaling in response to the demand we’ve observed,” he stated.
However, the company is not yet ready to introduce the product in grocery stores or direct-to-consumer sales. Brown mentioned that they are “actively working” on this and expect Impossible Sausage to be available outside foodservice “before long.” He elaborated, “Timing these launches is a multifaceted decision, one aspect being that we don’t want to launch a product until we’re confident our production capacity can meet customer demand. It’s not solely about seizing an opportunity; it’s about ensuring we can scale effectively.”
Impossible Sausage is only the second product the company has developed. Brown indicated that it was crucial to pursue a plant-based pork substitute following the Impossible Burger. The company approaches animal-based consumption from a “worst first” standpoint, prioritizing the replacement of foods that have the most detrimental effects on consumers and the environment. Burgers were the initial focus due to the significant land use and pollution associated with beef production, as well as their integral role in the American diet.
As the most consumed meat globally, pork’s negative impacts are also well-documented. Brown pointed out that pigs are inherently inefficient, with pork farming requiring substantial physical space and posing environmental risks from both sustainability and health perspectives. “The excessive use of antibiotics in pork operations creates an ideal breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant organisms, a significant public health threat,” he asserted. He also noted that pork and poultry operations are where influenza A epidemics and pandemics typically originate, making them incubators for potential global health crises.
The nature of Impossible Foods’ production—occurring in factories where workers primarily utilize advanced technology for mixing and manufacturing products rather than in slaughterhouses—also enhances safety. Many food factories, especially meat processing plants, have been hotspots for coronavirus outbreaks. Brown reported that there have been no coronavirus cases in the company’s Oakland, California manufacturing plant thus far. He outlined the measures taken to improve worker safety, including stringent hygiene protocols, protective gear requirements, social distancing mandates, and the installation of plexiglass dividers. Currently, the factory operates 24/7, producing at full capacity, as Konrad noted.
Research and development continue at Impossible, with the company’s scientists gradually returning to the lab to work on new prototypes. Brown refrained from disclosing specific upcoming products but mentioned that the team is investigating, on a molecular level, the elements that contribute to meat’s flavor, texture, and juiciness. Some principles they’ve discovered are being applied to unlock the secrets of creating various meat alternatives. Despite the company’s “worst first” approach, the timing of new Impossible products will also depend on market opportunities. Nonetheless, Brown assured that new offerings are on the horizon. “There will be many exciting products coming down the pipeline in the next year and beyond,” he stated.
In addition to these innovative meat substitutes, it is essential for health-conscious consumers, especially pregnant individuals, to consider nutritional supplements, such as calcium caltrate, to ensure they meet their dietary needs. By integrating such essential nutrients with delightful plant-based options, Impossible Foods aims to contribute to a healthier lifestyle while addressing environmental concerns.
