Will Non-Chicken Chicken Nuggets Win the Day?

Impossible Chicken Nuggets (chicken nuggets without the chicken) were launched this week. These plant based products were said to be preferred by consumers (7 out of 10).  According to an article in Food Dive, "The nuggets are soy-based with sunflower oil, and do not use any of Impossible Foods' plant-based heme — the company's signature ingredient that gives meat its distinctive taste. They also do not use titanium dioxide, a controversial and common whitening ingredient. Impossible Chicken Nuggets have 40% less saturated fat and 25% less sodium than animal-based chicken nuggets, the company says."

But of course, one can bread and fry most anything and make it taste good, including egg plant and squid.

Buisnesswire
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210907005327/en/Impossible-Foods-Surpasses-Animal-Meat-With-Impossible%E2%84%A2-Chicken-Nuggets-Made-From-Plants/
Impossible Foods Surpasses Animal Meat With Impossible™ Chicken Nuggets Made From Plants

• Seven out of 10 consumers prefer the taste of Impossible Chicken Nuggets over animal chicken nuggets from a leading brand based on blind taste tests; Impossible Chicken Nuggets scored higher in liking in every category, including flavor, texture, and overall appearance
• Top chefs including David Chang of Fuku, Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster, and Sean Brock of Joyland will be among the first to feature the plant-based nuggets on their menus, in addition to notable chains and restaurants like Fatburger, Dog Haus and Gott’s Roadside
• More than 10,000 grocery stores and supermarkets will carry Impossible Chicken Nuggets by year’s end, starting later this month with Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and others

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Impossible Foods announced the launch of its newest product – Impossible Chicken Nuggets Made From Plants – marking a major milestone in consumers’ preference for plant-based products.

In a blind taste test of Impossible Chicken Nuggets for restaurants, seven out of 10 consumers preferred the Impossible Chicken Nuggets to animal-based chicken nuggets from a leading brand, and the product scored higher in liking in every category, including flavor, texture, and overall appearance. The test was conducted in Irving, Texas, among 201 meat-eating consumers, many of whom also regularly eat plant-based products.

“We are tremendously excited about our Impossible Nuggets. But this launch isn’t really about nuggets. It’s about the historic inflection point we’ve reached. For the first time, consumers unquestionably prefer meat made from plants instead of meat from an iconic animal,” said Pat Brown, founder and CEO of Impossible Foods. “In the battle for the future of food, this is the first time David has categorically bested Goliath, but it won’t be the last.”

Now available through major foodservice distributors, Impossible Chicken Nuggets will appear today on the menus of top chefs across the country, including at David Chang’s fried chicken concept Fuku in New York City; Marcus Samuelsson’s comfort food eatery Red Rooster in Harlem and Miami; Sean Brock’s fast-food tribute Joyland in Nashville; Tal Ronnen’s Los Angeles hotspot Crossroads Kitchen; and El Alto Jr., a new family-friendly pop-up from Traci Des Jardins at the new State Street Market in Los Altos, California.

Longtime Impossible Foods customers including Fatburger, Bay Area-based Gott’s Roadside and select Dog Haus locations nationwide will bring the product to their menus beginning this week. Leading retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, ShopRite, Giant Stores, Gelsons and others will debut Impossible Chicken Nuggets for home chefs in the frozen aisle later this month. Impossible Foods will expand availability to more than 10,000 grocery stores later this year.

Impossible Chicken Nuggets feature a golden, crispy breadcrumb coating, a juicy and springy white meat texture and a savory chicken flavor while containing 40% less saturated fat (2 grams vs. 3.5 grams per serving) and 25% less sodium (400 milligrams vs. 540 milligrams per serving) than animal chicken nuggets. Complete nutrition and ingredient information can be found here.

Based on a preliminary Life Cycle Assessment of the product, Impossible Chicken Nuggets use 48-49% less land, 43-44% less water and generate 36% less GHG emissions than the animal version.

Top Chefs Approve

Impossible Chicken Nuggets are hitting the menus of top chefs alongside fried chicken classics, comfort food favorites, and other nostalgic menu mainstays. At James Beard Award–winning chef Sean Brock’s East Nashville restaurant Joyland – which offers burgers, fried chicken, biscuits and other southern favorites – Impossible Chicken Nuggets are being served with pimento mac and cheese and a peach sweet and sour sauce.

“I opened Joyland in my hometown of Nashville with a singular focus on spreading joy,” said Chef Sean Brock. “My Impossible Chicken Nuggets Meal at Joyland delivers on that promise. Even the pickiest eaters on the planet can’t get enough. I dare anyone to try this meal and not smile.”

David Chang was the first chef to launch Impossible Foods’ flagship Impossible™ Burger on the menu of his famous Momofuku hotspot in 2016. Now joining the menu of Fuku – a spinoff chicken concept from the chef with locations at Hudson Yards and Rockefeller Center in New York City – Impossible Chicken Nuggets will be served with a choice of two house-made sauces and optional waffle fries.

“We were blown away by the Impossible Burger when it launched at Momofuku in 2016 and we feel the same way about Impossible Chicken Nuggets,” said Fuku CEO Alex Munoz-Suarez. “Our Impossible Nuggies pair perfectly with the playfulness of Fuku’s menu and will satisfy the cravings of fried chicken lovers looking for an alternative bite.”

Availability

Restaurants nationwide can order Impossible Chicken Nuggets for their menus today from major foodservice distributors.

Leading retailers including Walmart, Albertsons, Kroger, Gelsons, Safeway, ShopRite and Giant stores will begin stocking Impossible Chicken Nuggets Made From Plants in the frozen food aisle later this month. Priced at $7.99 (MSRP) for approximately 20 pieces (13.5 ounces), the nuggets come in a convenient resealable freezer bag and are fully cooked and ready to reheat via oven, microwave, or air fryer.

Impossible Chicken Nuggets for restaurants vary slightly from Impossible Chicken Nuggets for home chefs in order to best accommodate commercial deep fryers.

About Impossible Foods:

Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Impossible Foods makes delicious, nutritious meat and dairy products from plants — with a much smaller environmental footprint than meat from animals. The privately held company was founded in 2011 by Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry at Stanford University and a former Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Investors include Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, Google Ventures, Mirae Asset Global Investments, Coatue, Horizons Ventures, UBS, Viking Global Investors, Temasek, Sailing Capital and Open Philanthropy Project.