7 ms·

Impossible Foods raises $200M in fresh funding

50 points by randtrain34 6y ago

lucasnortj 6y ago
The future
ArkVark 6y ago
Why not just eat the soy beans directly? This stuff is just glorified processed food.
- Alupis 6y ago
  Probably because a hamburger is tasty? It's an open secret things like "Impossible Meat" and others are really not healthy for you - certainly not a healthier alternative than just eating beef. They are higher in calories, and contain a lot more oils. Instead, it's for people who wish not to eat meat for whatever reasons (personal choice, religion, etc)... and now they can have a tasty alternative at the next Backyard BBQ.
  - jariel 6y ago
    Cost. As soon as this is materially cheaper than meat it will become the 'filler' used on so many burgers, taco places etc. and they'll do it without telling customers. Then so many people who would otherwise 'not like this stuff' have to internalize the fact 'they are already eating it widespread'. And even more directly, 40% of consumers are extremely price sensitive (think dollar store) and will buy the cheapest thing making 'real meat' a luxury. I'm not against meat but I do view 'vegetarian strategic path to meat elimination' as entirely economic. People care more about their money than anything that's how it will happen in my view. That said - if it tasted 'really good' I don't mind at all now and again personally and I feel probably most people feel that way as well. If I had burgers once every two weeks and 1/3 of them were 'good vegan' I would fall into just considering it 'another choice in the menu' type of thing, which I believe a lot of folks will go for.
    - redisman 6y ago
      I agree that's the only realistic way it will replace meat in the short-medium term. Besides - replacing the garbage-level-meat (your average cheap hamburger, sausage, nuggets, etc.) that provides most of meat-based calories to the masses with this would be better for everyone and then you can still have your grass-fed steaks and such every now and then without having millions of cows polluting the place.
    - Alupis 6y ago
      > As soon as this is materially cheaper than meat it will become the 'filler' used on so many burgers, taco places etc. and they'll do it without telling customers. This already exists. Tofu is commonly used in fast food as a meat "filler", and very few people notice as it is. Tacos at Jack in the Box "May Contain Soy Products", and more. Making "Impossible Meat" is always going to be more expensive than Tofu fillers, simply because it's processed to a much higher degree and requires a lot of ingredients.
  - pvarangot 6y ago
    They have lower cholesterol than regular meat and are lower in nitrates, and consumption of those is associated with behavioral issues. But yeah the macro-nutrient composition of this meat substitute patties is as unhealthy as meat as they are very high in fat. The sodium content is also really high so they don't help with high blood pressure issues.
- mrpigeonpants 6y ago
  Why not just troll individual people directly rather than general trolling? You might enjoy it more.
- devmunchies 6y ago
  I do. It's how I maximize my gains after a workout.
- thelazydogsback 6y ago
  IB's are soy free
  - mmmrtl 6y ago
    Literally the second ingredient: Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% Or Less Of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant), Soy Protein Isolate, Vitamins and Minerals (Zinc Gluconate, Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12).
    - rootusrootus 6y ago
      And the first is water, so as a practical matter soy is the biggest single ingredient.
  - Forbo 6y ago
    You're probably thinking of Beyond Meat, which uses pea protein.
Cactus2018 6y ago
Recommended short story Food of the Gods -Arthur C. Clarke https://books.google.com.au/books?id=hbAqAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT75&ots=Fyo9gNkRJC&pg=PT75#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.com.au/books?id=hbAqAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT75&o...
redorb 6y ago
I feel like this level of funding and therefore expected future worth is only possible if laws were passed to limit proper meat cultivation.. I have never so far felt the urge to pay more for non-beef, beef.
- edouard-harris 6y ago
  The interesting thing about the alternative meat industry isn't where the meat puck is, but where it's going (if you'll pardon the pun). Making soybeans taste like a supermarket hamburger almost certainly uses a very similar organizational skillset as making soybeans taste like, say, a Kobe beef burger - or some other meat option that's currently default-expensive. So the thesis is likely that their intellectual capital is now mature enough that they can iterate their way up the price / quality spectrum to win meaningful market segments. My guess is Impossible's valuation is probably justified, even if the investor story is a disjunction of "scale will eventually bring prices to parity or better with most real meat options" and "R&D will eventually produce flavor / texture profiles that transcend those of most real meat options". People eat a heck of a lot of meat, in a heck of a lot of varieties. And of course, the folks who invested will have gotten a look at the non-public numbers too.
garblegarble 6y ago
Great! While I do think plant-based diets are at their most delicious and healthy when they don't try to imitate animal products, I think it's a reality that many people (who want to avoid/minimise animal products) don't want to change the type of food they eat, just the components. I've really been enjoying the Burger King impossible burger - they've much better texture, flavour and juicyness compared to Burger King's beef patties (not a particularly high bar, mind you!). They're definitely at their best prepared with a slice of cheese, though. Perhaps Impossible will tackle that soon... Edited: to note that I was referring to people who didn't want to eat meat, not the general public
- jariel 6y ago
  "I think it's a reality that people don't want to change the type of food they eat, just the components." Why do you think this is true? Why would people who enjoy a good burger want to change anything about it, and why would someone proclaim that 'most people do want to change it'?
  - techsupporter 6y ago
    > Why would people who enjoy a good burger want to change anything about it If you are eating the burger specifically and solely for the beef, perhaps you don't. But for many people "cheeseburger" is a unit of food all on its own and the patty inside is more of a toppings-and-condiments delivery device. So if there's a plant-based substitute that's mildly healthier (Impossible is not a "low calorie, low sodium, low fat" substitute by any means) and a lot better on the environment, I suspect OP is correct. Many people would switch, or at least not mind the switch as much.
    - jariel 6y ago
      Yes, some people would change, there's no doubt. The point being: why does the author think that 'most' people would feel this way? Because I suspect that the vast majority of people don't. My suspicion is that the vast majority of people would view a 'regular burger' as 'more healthy' than most plant-based alternatives (even if they were roughly the same), and that all even if things were 'equal' or even slightly favourable to the veggie burger for 'health', they would prefer meat. You folks do realize that probably the majority of food in the US is probably unhealthy? And that people aren't really making their choices based on health so much? I believe that 'people like us' mostly live in bubbles and have a hard time grasping what 'most people' like. Every time I visit my 'very normal' family members I am reminded. If there is a dramatic difference in price I can see change, but otherwise, people will want their regular burgers. I would even go a step further: the more 'regular people' can be convinced the meat is 'real' and of 'high quality' - the more they will value it. Not less.
rglover 6y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-gocza6t8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-gocza6t8
mrpigeonpants 6y ago
I've been using their meat in things like pastas and tacos and it's slightly tastier. The thing that hit me is that we consume so much meat in a heavily processed way that it seems silly a creature should have to suffer and die to make it. I'm all for aged steaks and prosciutto in moderation, but a large portion of the meat is consumed in nugget or other forms that don't really respect the sacrifice of the animal or pollution created.
- tashoecraft 6y ago
  Agreed. I’ve switched to eating mostly vegan because most meat I used to eat was sort of just filler. If I go out somewhere and they specialize in something meat related and I know it’s going to be amazing, then I’ll get it. Eating lots of heavily processed chicken, cow and pigs just isn’t worth the many costs to environment, animal wellbeing, and potentially personal nutrition. I recommend everyone to consciously lower their meat intake. It doesn’t need to be forever or for every meal.
  - ddorian43 6y ago
    Where do you get enough protein to maintain muscle integrity ?
    - drenvuk 6y ago
      I'm not a vegan but beans and rice go a long way.
      - jschwartzi 6y ago
        Beans also have tons of fiber. You can easily get 20 grams of mostly soluble fiber from a bowl of beans.
    - tashoecraft 6y ago
      It’s generally a myth that vegans don’t get enough protein. There are tons of vegan based proteins and Americans are obsessed with maximizing protein intake where you really don’t need to. There’s plenty of vegan athletes and weight lifters. If they don’t have issues as an elite athlete I doubt the average person will have an issue.
actuator 6y ago
Are there any variants of plant based products which could compare to extremely high protein/calorie ratio foods, foods like egg white and chicken breast. The ones I have eaten/seen till now seem quite bad if you look at the overall composition. Sure, they have decent amount of protein from the legume they come from but the overall composition is not good. There are certain variants of Tofu with low fat/carb count but I don't know of any other besides supplements.
- bgee 6y ago
  Gluten-based food? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) Edit: judging from this food nutrition label, the protein/calorie ratio is quite extreme...[0] [0]: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61D08CfuRzL._SL1200_.jpg https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61D08CfuRzL...
  - actuator 6y ago
    Thanks, I just searched for that. Those are some extreme numbers[1] and there seem to be a lot of dishes in East Asia that are making use of it, not sure if the use is just as an additive. I wonder why it doesn't come up a lot in protein rich food discussion. I will try to read up more about it. [1] https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168147/nutrients https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168147/n...
    - betamike 6y ago
      Just for some additional search terms, seitan is a form of prepared Vital Wheat Gluten.
thelazydogsback 6y ago
I'm not a vegetarian, but also think that killing an animal when there's another option should be avoided -- and when I grill the IB's, they taste just like meat and even pass the 12 yo test. (The key is on the grill - fried up, not as good.) I'd love to see the time when we all eat meat only as a special occasion (<= once every few weeks) and giving thanks and respect to the animal. And the environmental benefits are huge. (Beyond is pretty good too, but not quite as beef-like, esp. if not well-done.) Now if they make a bacon that's just as convincing, I will definitely be celebrating!
- Aaronstotle 6y ago
  There is a startup called Mission barns that aims to make lab grown bacon. I'm not sure how close they are to market but I believe they've done a batch trial.
dtwest 6y ago
I imagine meat alternatives will really take off once they are cheaper than meat. There seems to be a lot of potential for cost savings if you don't need to raise a large animal to create the product. So far I haven't seen much of a cost advantage to meatless products, but perhaps with more funding this would be achievable. While I don't thing Impossible tastes better or even as good as the real thing, it isn't too far off. Having a price advantage would tip the scale for many people, especially in the fast food space.
- jedberg 6y ago
  Impossible should lobby for a carbon tax, which would skyrocket the price of meat, making their option more affordable.
  - moltar 6y ago
    Impossible meat production doesn’t use carbon?
    - Forbo 6y ago
      Far less than beef: https://impossiblefoods.com/mission/lca-update-2019/ https://impossiblefoods.com/mission/lca-update-2019/
  - grandmczeb 6y ago
    Just to put some numbers on it, the UN has a report that puts the total average carbon emissions of beef production between 14 to 76 kg CO2 equivalent per kg of final product, depending on the region the cattle was raised in[1]. The 2019 RWCC act proposed a tax of $40/metric ton of CO2 equivalent[2]. That corresponds to a price increase of $0.56-3.04/kg or $1.20-6.70/lbs of beef. Right now, the grocery store by me has 100% ground beef at $4/lbs, so it would be an increase of 30%-167%. If we use the US specific emission numbers, it's a ~65% increase for a total of $6.64/lbs. For reference, Impossible's "burger brick" is about $8/lbs[3]. Of course, ranchers would likely adopt more efficient practices if an actual carbon tax was passed so this is probably an upper limit of the price increase in practice. [1] http://www.fao.org/3/i3461e/i3461e.pdf http://www.fao.org/3/i3461e/i3461e.pdf [2] https://www.fcnl.org/documents/1066 https://www.fcnl.org/documents/1066 [3] https://impossiblefoods.com/directpricelist/ https://impossiblefoods.com/directpricelist/
sargun 6y ago
I'm surprised their valuation didn't go up very much. $3.61B -> $4.03B.
- vikramkr 6y ago
  A hedge fund was involved, maybe this is a preparation for an IPO? Get some institutional public investors on board?
Mizza 6y ago
Somebody brought these burgers to a cookout, and I gotta say, they went faster than the real meat did! I tried cooking them at home on the stove and it was a disaster, but they were awesome off of the grill. They definitely need some good sauces to really make the burger, but they texture and taste were both really good. I really hope they can drive the cost way, way down. If these were side by side on the shelf and priced $2 less than the "real thing", they'd take over a good chunk of the whole market in a very short time.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
moltar 6y ago
Highly recommended reading is Sacred Cow book. It’s the most well researched, fact based, science based book thus far that is pro meat. https://www.sacredcow.info/ https://www.sacredcow.info/ Impossible ingredients are pretty bad and aren’t that good for the environment either. Soy production is extremely destructive. Here’s the list: Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% Or Less Of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant), Soy Protein Isolate, Vitamins and Minerals (Zinc Gluconate, Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12).
- xnx 6y ago
  What's bad about these ingredients?
- HaloZero 6y ago
  Do you have a good source on why soy production is harmful? I think the idea is that it's not AS harmful. Regardless of the land damage that soy production takes it's not as bad as the land needed for animals & the food to feed those animals. Side benefit: also factory farms can totally be a source of another fucked up disease. They pump those animals with antibiotics and put them in bad environments a lot of the time.
  - dua2020 6y ago
    Too right, soy never caused a pandemic...
  - Forbo 6y ago
    The vast majority of soy production is for animal feed. By diverting that directly to feeding people, you eliminate an entire trophic level. Edit: Failed to mention that a lot of deforestation is done to facilitate the growth of soy. Take for example the Amazon.
    - moltar 6y ago

50 points by randtrain34 6y ago

lucasnortj 6y ago

The future

ArkVark 6y ago

Why not just eat the soy beans directly? This stuff is just glorified processed food.

Alupis 6y ago
Probably because a hamburger is tasty? It's an open secret things like "Impossible Meat" and others are really not healthy for you - certainly not a healthier alternative than just eating beef. They are higher in calories, and contain a lot more oils. Instead, it's for people who wish not to eat meat for whatever reasons (personal choice, religion, etc)... and now they can have a tasty alternative at the next Backyard BBQ.
- jariel 6y ago
  Cost. As soon as this is materially cheaper than meat it will become the 'filler' used on so many burgers, taco places etc. and they'll do it without telling customers. Then so many people who would otherwise 'not like this stuff' have to internalize the fact 'they are already eating it widespread'. And even more directly, 40% of consumers are extremely price sensitive (think dollar store) and will buy the cheapest thing making 'real meat' a luxury. I'm not against meat but I do view 'vegetarian strategic path to meat elimination' as entirely economic. People care more about their money than anything that's how it will happen in my view. That said - if it tasted 'really good' I don't mind at all now and again personally and I feel probably most people feel that way as well. If I had burgers once every two weeks and 1/3 of them were 'good vegan' I would fall into just considering it 'another choice in the menu' type of thing, which I believe a lot of folks will go for.
  - redisman 6y ago
    I agree that's the only realistic way it will replace meat in the short-medium term. Besides - replacing the garbage-level-meat (your average cheap hamburger, sausage, nuggets, etc.) that provides most of meat-based calories to the masses with this would be better for everyone and then you can still have your grass-fed steaks and such every now and then without having millions of cows polluting the place.
  - Alupis 6y ago
    > As soon as this is materially cheaper than meat it will become the 'filler' used on so many burgers, taco places etc. and they'll do it without telling customers. This already exists. Tofu is commonly used in fast food as a meat "filler", and very few people notice as it is. Tacos at Jack in the Box "May Contain Soy Products", and more. Making "Impossible Meat" is always going to be more expensive than Tofu fillers, simply because it's processed to a much higher degree and requires a lot of ingredients.
- pvarangot 6y ago
  They have lower cholesterol than regular meat and are lower in nitrates, and consumption of those is associated with behavioral issues. But yeah the macro-nutrient composition of this meat substitute patties is as unhealthy as meat as they are very high in fat. The sodium content is also really high so they don't help with high blood pressure issues.
mrpigeonpants 6y ago
Why not just troll individual people directly rather than general trolling? You might enjoy it more.
devmunchies 6y ago
I do. It's how I maximize my gains after a workout.
thelazydogsback 6y ago
IB's are soy free
- mmmrtl 6y ago
  Literally the second ingredient: Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% Or Less Of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant), Soy Protein Isolate, Vitamins and Minerals (Zinc Gluconate, Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12).
  - rootusrootus 6y ago
    And the first is water, so as a practical matter soy is the biggest single ingredient.
- Forbo 6y ago
  You're probably thinking of Beyond Meat, which uses pea protein.

Cactus2018 6y ago

Recommended short story Food of the Gods -Arthur C. Clarke https://books.google.com.au/books?id=hbAqAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT75&ots=Fyo9gNkRJC&pg=PT75#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.com.au/books?id=hbAqAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT75&o...

redorb 6y ago

I feel like this level of funding and therefore expected future worth is only possible if laws were passed to limit proper meat cultivation.. I have never so far felt the urge to pay more for non-beef, beef.

edouard-harris 6y ago
The interesting thing about the alternative meat industry isn't where the meat puck is, but where it's going (if you'll pardon the pun). Making soybeans taste like a supermarket hamburger almost certainly uses a very similar organizational skillset as making soybeans taste like, say, a Kobe beef burger - or some other meat option that's currently default-expensive. So the thesis is likely that their intellectual capital is now mature enough that they can iterate their way up the price / quality spectrum to win meaningful market segments. My guess is Impossible's valuation is probably justified, even if the investor story is a disjunction of "scale will eventually bring prices to parity or better with most real meat options" and "R&D will eventually produce flavor / texture profiles that transcend those of most real meat options". People eat a heck of a lot of meat, in a heck of a lot of varieties. And of course, the folks who invested will have gotten a look at the non-public numbers too.

garblegarble 6y ago

Great! While I do think plant-based diets are at their most delicious and healthy when they don't try to imitate animal products, I think it's a reality that many people (who want to avoid/minimise animal products) don't want to change the type of food they eat, just the components. I've really been enjoying the Burger King impossible burger - they've much better texture, flavour and juicyness compared to Burger King's beef patties (not a particularly high bar, mind you!). They're definitely at their best prepared with a slice of cheese, though. Perhaps Impossible will tackle that soon... Edited: to note that I was referring to people who didn't want to eat meat, not the general public

jariel 6y ago
"I think it's a reality that people don't want to change the type of food they eat, just the components." Why do you think this is true? Why would people who enjoy a good burger want to change anything about it, and why would someone proclaim that 'most people do want to change it'?
- techsupporter 6y ago
  > Why would people who enjoy a good burger want to change anything about it If you are eating the burger specifically and solely for the beef, perhaps you don't. But for many people "cheeseburger" is a unit of food all on its own and the patty inside is more of a toppings-and-condiments delivery device. So if there's a plant-based substitute that's mildly healthier (Impossible is not a "low calorie, low sodium, low fat" substitute by any means) and a lot better on the environment, I suspect OP is correct. Many people would switch, or at least not mind the switch as much.
  - jariel 6y ago
    Yes, some people would change, there's no doubt. The point being: why does the author think that 'most' people would feel this way? Because I suspect that the vast majority of people don't. My suspicion is that the vast majority of people would view a 'regular burger' as 'more healthy' than most plant-based alternatives (even if they were roughly the same), and that all even if things were 'equal' or even slightly favourable to the veggie burger for 'health', they would prefer meat. You folks do realize that probably the majority of food in the US is probably unhealthy? And that people aren't really making their choices based on health so much? I believe that 'people like us' mostly live in bubbles and have a hard time grasping what 'most people' like. Every time I visit my 'very normal' family members I am reminded. If there is a dramatic difference in price I can see change, but otherwise, people will want their regular burgers. I would even go a step further: the more 'regular people' can be convinced the meat is 'real' and of 'high quality' - the more they will value it. Not less.

rglover 6y ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-gocza6t8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-gocza6t8

mrpigeonpants 6y ago

I've been using their meat in things like pastas and tacos and it's slightly tastier. The thing that hit me is that we consume so much meat in a heavily processed way that it seems silly a creature should have to suffer and die to make it. I'm all for aged steaks and prosciutto in moderation, but a large portion of the meat is consumed in nugget or other forms that don't really respect the sacrifice of the animal or pollution created.

tashoecraft 6y ago
Agreed. I’ve switched to eating mostly vegan because most meat I used to eat was sort of just filler. If I go out somewhere and they specialize in something meat related and I know it’s going to be amazing, then I’ll get it. Eating lots of heavily processed chicken, cow and pigs just isn’t worth the many costs to environment, animal wellbeing, and potentially personal nutrition. I recommend everyone to consciously lower their meat intake. It doesn’t need to be forever or for every meal.
- ddorian43 6y ago
  Where do you get enough protein to maintain muscle integrity ?
  - drenvuk 6y ago
    I'm not a vegan but beans and rice go a long way.
    - jschwartzi 6y ago
      Beans also have tons of fiber. You can easily get 20 grams of mostly soluble fiber from a bowl of beans.
  - tashoecraft 6y ago
    It’s generally a myth that vegans don’t get enough protein. There are tons of vegan based proteins and Americans are obsessed with maximizing protein intake where you really don’t need to. There’s plenty of vegan athletes and weight lifters. If they don’t have issues as an elite athlete I doubt the average person will have an issue.

actuator 6y ago

Are there any variants of plant based products which could compare to extremely high protein/calorie ratio foods, foods like egg white and chicken breast. The ones I have eaten/seen till now seem quite bad if you look at the overall composition. Sure, they have decent amount of protein from the legume they come from but the overall composition is not good. There are certain variants of Tofu with low fat/carb count but I don't know of any other besides supplements.

bgee 6y ago
Gluten-based food? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) Edit: judging from this food nutrition label, the protein/calorie ratio is quite extreme...[0] [0]: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61D08CfuRzL._SL1200_.jpg https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61D08CfuRzL...
- actuator 6y ago
  Thanks, I just searched for that. Those are some extreme numbers[1] and there seem to be a lot of dishes in East Asia that are making use of it, not sure if the use is just as an additive. I wonder why it doesn't come up a lot in protein rich food discussion. I will try to read up more about it. [1] https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168147/nutrients https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168147/n...
  - betamike 6y ago
    Just for some additional search terms, seitan is a form of prepared Vital Wheat Gluten.

thelazydogsback 6y ago

I'm not a vegetarian, but also think that killing an animal when there's another option should be avoided -- and when I grill the IB's, they taste just like meat and even pass the 12 yo test. (The key is on the grill - fried up, not as good.) I'd love to see the time when we all eat meat only as a special occasion (<= once every few weeks) and giving thanks and respect to the animal. And the environmental benefits are huge. (Beyond is pretty good too, but not quite as beef-like, esp. if not well-done.) Now if they make a bacon that's just as convincing, I will definitely be celebrating!

Aaronstotle 6y ago
There is a startup called Mission barns that aims to make lab grown bacon. I'm not sure how close they are to market but I believe they've done a batch trial.

dtwest 6y ago

I imagine meat alternatives will really take off once they are cheaper than meat. There seems to be a lot of potential for cost savings if you don't need to raise a large animal to create the product. So far I haven't seen much of a cost advantage to meatless products, but perhaps with more funding this would be achievable. While I don't thing Impossible tastes better or even as good as the real thing, it isn't too far off. Having a price advantage would tip the scale for many people, especially in the fast food space.

jedberg 6y ago
Impossible should lobby for a carbon tax, which would skyrocket the price of meat, making their option more affordable.
- moltar 6y ago
  Impossible meat production doesn’t use carbon?
  - Forbo 6y ago
    Far less than beef: https://impossiblefoods.com/mission/lca-update-2019/ https://impossiblefoods.com/mission/lca-update-2019/
- grandmczeb 6y ago
  Just to put some numbers on it, the UN has a report that puts the total average carbon emissions of beef production between 14 to 76 kg CO2 equivalent per kg of final product, depending on the region the cattle was raised in[1]. The 2019 RWCC act proposed a tax of $40/metric ton of CO2 equivalent[2]. That corresponds to a price increase of $0.56-3.04/kg or $1.20-6.70/lbs of beef. Right now, the grocery store by me has 100% ground beef at $4/lbs, so it would be an increase of 30%-167%. If we use the US specific emission numbers, it's a ~65% increase for a total of $6.64/lbs. For reference, Impossible's "burger brick" is about $8/lbs[3]. Of course, ranchers would likely adopt more efficient practices if an actual carbon tax was passed so this is probably an upper limit of the price increase in practice. [1] http://www.fao.org/3/i3461e/i3461e.pdf http://www.fao.org/3/i3461e/i3461e.pdf [2] https://www.fcnl.org/documents/1066 https://www.fcnl.org/documents/1066 [3] https://impossiblefoods.com/directpricelist/ https://impossiblefoods.com/directpricelist/

sargun 6y ago

I'm surprised their valuation didn't go up very much. $3.61B -> $4.03B.

vikramkr 6y ago
A hedge fund was involved, maybe this is a preparation for an IPO? Get some institutional public investors on board?

Mizza 6y ago

Somebody brought these burgers to a cookout, and I gotta say, they went faster than the real meat did! I tried cooking them at home on the stove and it was a disaster, but they were awesome off of the grill. They definitely need some good sauces to really make the burger, but they texture and taste were both really good. I really hope they can drive the cost way, way down. If these were side by side on the shelf and priced $2 less than the "real thing", they'd take over a good chunk of the whole market in a very short time.

deleted 6y ago

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moltar 6y ago

Highly recommended reading is Sacred Cow book. It’s the most well researched, fact based, science based book thus far that is pro meat. https://www.sacredcow.info/ https://www.sacredcow.info/ Impossible ingredients are pretty bad and aren’t that good for the environment either. Soy production is extremely destructive. Here’s the list: Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% Or Less Of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant), Soy Protein Isolate, Vitamins and Minerals (Zinc Gluconate, Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12).

xnx 6y ago
What's bad about these ingredients?
HaloZero 6y ago
Do you have a good source on why soy production is harmful? I think the idea is that it's not AS harmful. Regardless of the land damage that soy production takes it's not as bad as the land needed for animals & the food to feed those animals. Side benefit: also factory farms can totally be a source of another fucked up disease. They pump those animals with antibiotics and put them in bad environments a lot of the time.
- dua2020 6y ago
  Too right, soy never caused a pandemic...
- Forbo 6y ago
  The vast majority of soy production is for animal feed. By diverting that directly to feeding people, you eliminate an entire trophic level. Edit: Failed to mention that a lot of deforestation is done to facilitate the growth of soy. Take for example the Amazon.
  - moltar 6y ago