Impossible Foods is a food tech company that created a plant-based Impossible Burger and they have had an incredible 2017. Their juicy burger can hardly be differentiated from real meat and is now found in over 300 restaurants all over the US. This has satisfied a lot of appetites from both vegans and the meat-eating community. The company has also announced a $75 million investment to make a new factory in Oakland, California. Aside from that, they also gave hints that they are working on a vegan seafood option.
Penetrating the Asian Market
Fortunately, things aren’t slowing down for the tech company anytime soon. Reports said the Impossible Burger is headed to Asia sometime in 2018, which makes this the first distribution point outside of the country.
David Lee is the chief operating officer of Impossible Foods and according to him they have always known that their mission extends to the global scale. They are aware that the demand for the Impossible Burger in the US is miniscule compared to the demand worldwide. The company is planning to test the waters by partnering with food companies in the region and doing trial runs. If reception is good, they will gradually increase distribution just like what they did with the roll out in the US.
A Better Alternative for the Planet
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has also stated that the consumption of beef in East Asia and in the Pacific will likely increase. This means that the move by Impossible Foods is a timely and needed response.
The Impossible Burger is a plant-based meat and is more environmentally safe compared to typical meat-based “real” burgers. The company states that their burgers require 99% less land, emits 89% less greenhouse gases, and consumes 85% less water than the typical beef product.
In fact, if you look at the animal agriculture industry, they are actually a major source of greenhouse emissions. When comparing the two, it is clear that the plant-based meat product of Impossible Foods isn’t just showing some impressive numbers but is actually a great way of saving the planet.
The environmental impact of global meat production is quite huge. Annually, 586 million tons of milk is produced around the world. Add to that, 124 million tons of poultry and 59 million tons of cow meat among others. Unfortunately, meat consumption distribution differs between countries, with the US eating 122kg of meat per person while the global average is only 36kg per person. However, while the results differ from country to country, the general conclusion is that meat production as well as meat consumption will have to change in the future.
Fortunately, by 2020, it is projected that the meat alternative sector is bound to increase to $5.2 billion and it doesn’t look like it is going to slow down anytime soon. It is no surprise that Impossible Foods is actually planning for an Asia launch as more and more people are actually cutting back on meat consumption. Lee states that they are looking forward to seeing what the year holds for the company as they are technically just starting their expansion to the global scene.