Plant-based pork launched in US by Impossible Foods

US-based Impossible Foods has launched its new plant-based sausage and plant-based pork products in the US.

The company unveiled its new products, which it says are entirely plant-based, at the CES tech show in Las Vegas. Its existing product range includes the plant-based Impossible Burger.

Impossible Foods explained that its new sausage and plant-based pork products contain no gluten, animal hormones or antibiotics. It said it produces them using heme, a molecule derived from plants, which looks like blood and contains iron.

The company expects customers worldwide to accept its new product as a pork alternative. Pork is considered to be the most widely consumed meat across the globe.

The new pork Impossible Sausage will be rolled out at 67 Burger King restaurants in the US. The restaurant chain will introduce the pork product in a sandwich-based dish called the Croissan’wich.

Impossible Foods founder and chief executive Patrick Brown was reported by the BBC as saying: “Now we’re accelerating the expansion of our product portfolio to more of the world’s favourite foods.

“We won’t stop until we eliminate the need for animals in the food chain and make the global food system sustainable.”

The company anticipates moving into the Chinese market with its new product to meet the growing demand for pork, which has reportedly increased significantly. A recent outbreak of African Swine Flu forced the Chinese Government to order the destruction of millions of pigs.

Impossible Foods added that its synthetic pork product is suitable for cooking Asian dishes, including spring rolls, dumplings or wontons.

In May, Impossible Foods raised $300m in the Series E funding round, which was led by its existing investors Temasek and Horizons Ventures in an effort to accelerate its rapid scaleup.

The company has had five funding rounds since its launch in 2011.