There seems to be a growing call to create sustainable food products and more recently, meat has been put on that list where scientists are working to grow meat in a lab without the need to kill any animals. In fact one company by the name of Impossible Foods has created a burger from plants that is said to taste, look, and feel like an actual burger.Now it looks like the company is one step closer to gaining wider acceptance because over in the US, the FDA has recently given them the stamp of approval where the agency has declared that the Impossible Burger is safe to eat. While Impossible Foods has submitted its application back in 2014, it seems that there was some contention regarding one key ingredient: soy leghemoglobin.
This is because soy leghemoglobin has the potential to cause allergies and other adverse effects. The protein is found in the roots of soy plants, but since that part is not eaten, there was concerns regarding its safety. However Impossible Foods has managed to convince the FDA through studies of the protein where it was found that consuming it as part of our diet doesn’t produce any bad effects, and that it has a “very low risk of allergenicity”.
According to the company’s CEO Dr. Patrick O. Brown, “Getting a no-questions letter goes above and beyond our strict compliance to all federal food-safety regulations. We have prioritized safety and transparency from day one, and they will always be core elements of our company culture.”