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Impossible Burgers' Key, Bloody Ingredient Wins FDA Approval (cnbc.com)
The FDA has approved the key ingredient used in the vegetarian-friendly Impossible Burger. "The ingredient, soy leghemoglobin, releases a protein called heme that gives the meat substitute its distinctive blood-like color and taste," reports CNBC. The burger comes from a company aptly named Impossible Foods, which started raising millions of dollars in 2015 to pursue a plant-based burger that truly tastes like meat. From the report: In a letter to Impossible Foods released Monday, the FDA deemed soy leghemoglobin GRAS, or generally recognized as safe, in its most recent review. "Getting a no-questions letter goes above and beyond our strict compliance to all federal food-safety regulations," Impossible Foods founder and CEO Patrick O. Brown said in a statement. "We have prioritized safety and transparency from day one, and they will always be core elements of our company culture."
I think that such products are aimed more at meat eaters than long time vegetarians. I'd say that most meat eaters do it because they like the taste rather than because they want animals slaughtered, so offering something which tastes the same (and has similar or better nutritional values and isn't more expensive) would allow them to switch out of eating meat.
Unfortunately, all the substitutes that are made to mimic meat well are currently far pricier than actual meat. I tried a sample of a Beyond Burger a while back and it was pretty good, but on the shelf it was like 4 times the price of actual ground beef. That ain't gonna work too well. A plant based burger should cost LESS than the real thing.
I'm not a vegetarian but have greatly reduced my meat intake over the years. I had the opportunity to try an Impossible Burger recently and I can confirm that it's freakishly like animal meat. Not 100% indistinguishable but so damn close that I was amazed. The guy at the restaurant warned me that many vegetarians don't like it because it's so close. He wasn't lying. If there is a safe option to help people eat less meat, that's probably good for health, the environment, and a number of other factors right? It's like a gateway veg. Just like bacon is the gateway meat.