Impossible Foods Plant-based Sausage Finally Comes To Supermarkets

Impossible Foods’ plant-based sausage is finally coming to grocery stores this week. 

Designed to look, cook and taste like pork sausage but without the pig, the Impossible Sausage will be available in two flavours: savoury and spicy. 

The company says that in a home use test of 136 consumers, 66% said Impossible Sausage tasted as good as or better than ground pork sausage

The Impossible Sausage contains no cholesterol or trans fats, with nine grams of fat, including four grams of saturated fat per a 56 gram serving and seven grams of plant-based protein. The vegan sausage has 30% fewer calories and 47% less fat. And it's also certified gluten-free.

Just like the Impossible burger, Impossible Sausage contains soy leghemoglobin, produced from genetically modified yeast and known as heme. The new ingredient developed by Impossible helps to perfectly mimic the taste and aroma of real meat. Impossible had to secure regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its use of heme before they launched its beef alternative in grocery stores in September 2019.

The company filed an application in the European Union as it is looking to expand outside the US and Asia. The EU has a strict legal regime on genetically modified food which means it will take some until the Impossible Foods products arrive to the old continent. 

Impossible says the sausage is entirely plant-based and therefore more environmentally friendly when compared to real pork. It requires 79% less water, 41% less land and emits significantly less greenhouse gas. 

The Impossible Sausage is vegan-friendly and will do the impossible in the kitchen. It cooks well on the pan, in the oven and can be used as meat replacement in popular daily recipes. 

The new product was previously available for food service. It appeared on the menus of thousands of diners across the US and around 200 coffee shops in Hong Kong.

Until now,  Impossible has raised $1.5 billion from private investors.In April, Reuters reported that Impossible Foods is preparing to go public in the next 12 months through an initial public offering or a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. 

The company is reportedly seeking a valuation of at least $10 billion, several billion dollars higher than the current market value of it's biggest competitor Beyond Meat. 

“At Impossible Foods, we’re intent upon delivering on what consumers demand from meat, but without the compromise inherent in the use of animals for food production,” said Dennis Woodside, president of Impossible Foods. “With out latest Impossible Sausage product for retail, we’re doubling down in our efforts to reach every home cook looking to satiate their cravings for sausage. We’re excited to see what consumers cook up.”