The latest alt-meat from Impossible Foods—a ground pork product it unveiled in 2020, at CES—technically hits tables today. Only it isn’t a bunch of them: According to the company’s press release, the new Impossible Pork debuts tonight at New York’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar, where the famous David Chang restaurant will serve it on top of its signature spicy rice cakes. (Call it a loyalty reward: Chang was the first chef to serve Impossible’s flagship burgers back in 2016, too.)
On October 4, it will launch in restaurants in Hong Kong, including the Chinese fast-food chain MX and the original Tim Ho Wan, the Michelin-starred hotspot for cheap eats. Ruby Tuesday restaurants there will also get them. In November, it jumps to four restaurants in Singapore.
According to the company, the amount of protein in real pork is replicated in Impossible Pork—whose primary ingredient is soy, including soy leghemoglobin, Impossible’s “secret sauce” that “bleeds”—but the plant-based product has no cholesterol, one-third less saturated fat, and fewer calories. As always, Impossible argues it’s not only healthier than the animal counterpart, but also tastier.
Impossible obviously contends, too, that its products are better for the planet, though that claim has come under scrutiny. While cows and chickens are our top meat choices in America, this isn’t the case everywhere in the world. “From pork bao buns to kielbasa to feijoada to BBQ ribs, cultural dishes around the world contribute to humanity’s voracious pork demand,” Impossible says, adding that large-scale pork production worldwide “releases excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus into the environment, and high doses of copper and zinc fed to pigs to promote growth accumulate in our soil.”
Alt-proteins keep getting more popular as consumers grow more aware of the environmental impact of animal agriculture, and industry studies show livestock produces as much as 18% of Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions. Impossible counters that its pork product “is vastly more sustainable,” producing around 75% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and using between 81% and 85% less water and between 66% and 82% less land.
Correction: This story has been updated to note that Impossible Pork will be available soon in Ruby Tuesday Hong Kong locations, not U.S. locations.
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