Impossible ‘bleeding’ vegetarian burger is safe to eat, says FDA

A “BLEEDING” vegan burger backed by Microsoft’s Bill Gates has been approved by US food regulators as fit for human consumption.

The Impossible Burger, a plantbased burger that uses soy protein to give its burger the texture of real meat, has secured approval in the US despite concerns from advocacy groups.

Impossible’s burger uses soya leghemoglobin as its key ingredient, which is found in the roots of soya plants, to manufacture its fake burgers.

The protein is similar to those found in blood, giving its burgers a more realistic taste, however it had never been widely consumed as a food additive before.

Last year, it was revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration had reported concerns about the burgers to the company.

Although the regulator did not say the burgers were unsafe, it said in a 2015 letter that Impossible Foods’ scientific reports the safety of soy consumption”.

The company announced this week it had received a “no questions” response from the safety regulator, suggesting the FDA considers the company’s burgers are safe for humans to eat. Impossible Foods has pumped “do not establish leghemoglobin for millions of dollars into its fake burger with investment from Google, former Microsoft chief Mr Gates and Khosla Ventures, one of Silicon Valley’s most powerful venture capital firms.

Despite the slow process to gain approval, Silicon Valley start-up Impossible Foods has already been serving its burgers at 3,000 restaurants around the US.

This is permitted under a safety regime that allows companies to selfcertify their foods as “generally recognised as safe”. The regulator only steps in when it spots a problem or believes the claim is incorrect.

Impossible Foods founder Dr Patrick Brown said: “We have prioritised safety and transparency from day one, and they will always be core elements of our company culture.”

Impossible Foods was founded in 2011 by the US biochemistry professor to provide a meat-free alternative to popular foods. The artificial meat market is now worth around $3.1bn.

Food giants like Nestlé are also jumping on the meat-free hype as vegetarian and vegan diets continue to grow in popularity.

“In the United States, we’re experiencing a consumer shift toward plantbased proteins,” Paul Grimwood, Nestlé’s US chairman, told The Daily Telegraph earlier this year.