Impossible Burgers at the Retail Store?

Impossible Burgers has petitioned FDA to allow them to sell their plant-based burgers at retail.  The issue is the soy leghemoglobin (plant based hemoglobin produced by genetically engineered yeast) imparts a red color to the plant bases analogue product to give the appearance of meat.  So fake meat that looks like meat.  May not seem like a big deal, but if you can add an chemical to fake meat to make it red, can you add a chemical to real meat to make it more red....and that you cannot do.

I think a consumer issue will be proper handling - keeping cold, proper storage, etc

A little on Impossible Meat (they have a primer for foodservice operations that discusses how to handle and cook product)

Ingredients - Water, Textured Wheat Protein, Coconut Oil, Potato Protein, Natural Flavors, 2% or Less Of: Leghemoglobin (Soy), Yeast Extract, Salt, Konjac Gum, Xanthan Gum, Soy Protein Isolate,

Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Zinc, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2),

Vitamin B12. Contains: Soy, Wheat

Handling - best to handle cold and keep cold prior to cooking, and wear gloves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6vtiZSSucY

Cooking - as a burger, cook as you would a hamburger, to medium or 160F

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS1xU99Bz4o

Perhaps Jon Campbell will determine how to make Impossible landjaeger.

Bloomberg.com

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-18/impossible-burger-needs-fda-nod-to-sell-uncooked-to-consumers
Impossible Burger Needs FDA Nod to Sell Uncooked in Stores
By
Lydia Mulvany   and   Deena Shanker
‎December‎ ‎18‎, ‎2018‎ ‎9‎:‎39‎ ‎AM Updated on ‎December‎ ‎18‎, ‎2018‎ ‎3‎:‎27‎ ‎PM

If Impossible Foods, maker of the plant-based Impossible Burger sold in restaurants nationwide, wants to sell its product uncooked directly to consumers, it will need to get pre-market approval to use its key ingredient, soy leghemoglobin, as a color additive, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement to Bloomberg News on Monday.

“If it is in food sold to consumers in its uncooked form, the soy leghemoglobin imparts a red color that is important to the appearance of the food,” the FDA said

“Therefore, if the firm wishes to sell the uncooked, red-colored ground beef analogue to consumers, pre-market approval of the soy leghemoglobin as a color additive is required,” the FDA said

NOTE: In November, Impossible Foods said in a statement it planned to sell its eponymous burger at grocery stores starting in 2019“By far the No. 1 message from fans on social media is, ‘When will I be able to buy and cook the Impossible Burger at home?’” Impossible Foods’ CEO and Founder Patrick Brown said in the statement

Company: soy leghemoglobin used for meat-like flavor, taste and texture

Last week, the agency said the company had filed a petition for it to be used as a color additive; FDA has 90 days to respond and can extend that by another 90 days if needed

Impossible Foods spokeswoman Rachel Konrad said in an email that “there are many ways Impossible Foods could enter retail, and there is ambiguity about which if any of them might raise color additive issues. We filed a Color Additive Petition so that we could ensure maximum flexibility as we move forward with new commercial applications, including new products and business models”




— With assistance by Anna Edney