IMPOSSIBLE FOODS ACCELERATES SWITCH TO IMPOSSIBLE BURGER 2.0 AS DEMAND SURGES ACROSS AMERICA

• Award-winning Impossible Burger 2.0 is now available to all restaurants in the United States through DOT Foods, the nation’s largest food redistributor 

• Impossible Foods’ first major product upgrade delivers unprecedented taste, nutrition and versatility 

• Next-generation Impossible Burger is gluten-free, cholesterol-free, kosher- and halal-certified; delivers as much bioavailable iron and protein as conventional beef from cows 

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (Feb. 7, 2019) –– In response to overwhelming demand from restaurateurs and their customers nationwide, Impossible Foods announced today that the award-winning Impossible Burger 2.0 is now available to all restaurants in the United States. 

Impossible Foods launched its first major product upgrade last month at the International Consumer Electronics Show -- the first time that the world’s most important technology show featured a food in its roster of game-changing innovations. Impossible Burger 2.0 took home the show’s highest honors, including “Most Unexpected Product” and “Most Impactful Product,” as well as the show’s ultimate honor: “Best of the Best.” 

“The response to Impossible Burger 2.0 from food critics, restaurant owners and the general public, online and offline, has been spectacular. As a result of phenomenal demand for our next-gen product, we’re accelerating the cutover to Impossible Burger 2.0, making it available to all restaurants in America,” said Impossible Foods’ Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer David Lee, who oversees sales. “We challenge restaurateurs and chefs who haven’t yet tried the Impossible Burger to taste it side by side with any other ground meat. This is the food that will make you ‘think different’ about meat.” 

FASTER UPGRADE TO 2.0

Impossible Foods, which launched Impossible Burger 2.0 on Jan. 8 at some of America’s top restaurants, initially anticipated a two-month transition from the original recipe. But based on surging demand nationwide, the food tech startup ran out of original-recipe patties weeks earlier than anticipated and accelerated the “cutover” to 2.0. 

Nearly two dozen celebrity chefs had a short-term exclusive on serving Impossible Burger 2.0, and they all still serve it at their trendsetting restaurants, including: 

• Brad Farmerie (Saxon + Parole in New York City) 

• Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (Border Grill in Las Vegas) 

• Traci Des Jardins (Jardinière and School Night in San Francisco) 

• Chris Cosentino (Cockscomb in San Francisco, Acacia House in Napa Valley, Jackrabbit in Portland) 

• Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette (Little Donkey in Boston) 

• Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles) 

• Check out the full list of VIP restaurants that launched Impossible Burger 2.0. 

On Jan. 15, food tech startup Impossible Foods expanded availability of Impossible Burger 2.0 at leading restaurant concepts including “better burger” chains such as Umami (nationwide), Wahlburgers (Boston area), Monty’s Good Burger (Southern California), Grindhouse (Georgia), Gott’s (San Francisco Bay Area), M Burger (Chicago area), and Chef Michael Symon’s B Spot (Ohio). 

Starting today, all food distributors can order the Impossible Burger 2.0 through DOT, the largest food redistributor in the United States. While some restaurants will continue to serve the previous version of the Impossible Burger until their frozen stocks are depleted, most restaurants should be serving the new recipe within weeks. 

In addition, Impossible Foods plans to launch the next-generation Impossible Burger in select US grocery stores later this year. That means millions of home chefs will soon be able to enjoy the Impossible Burger’s industry-leading taste, nutrition and versatility. 

DELICIOUS. NUTRITIOUS. NO COMPROMISE.

The next-generation Impossible Burger delivers unprecedented taste — with as much bioavailable iron and high-quality protein as a comparable serving of ground beef from cows. The next-generation version of the plant-based Impossible Burger contains no gluten, no animal hormones and no antibiotics. It’s kosher- and halal-certified. 

Impossible Burger 2.0 has 0 mg cholesterol, 14 grams of total fat and 240 calories in a quarter-pound patty (vs 80 mg. cholesterol, 23 grams of total fat and 290 calories in a quarter-pound patty of standard “80/20” ground beef from cows). 

The new recipe is also exceptionally versatile. It excels in any ground meat dish, including stews, chili, sauces, braises, minces, meatballs, meat pies or any other meaty menu item -- on the BBQ, in a crock pot, steamer or casserole, in recipes from lasagne to lo mein. It can be steamed, seared, or sizzled on slats over an open flame. It retains its texture and juiciness throughout the cooking process. 

Impossible Burger 2.0 gets its meaty chew and versatile texture from soy protein, not wheat protein — a response to consumers who loved the original Impossible Burger but wanted no wheat or gluten. Impossible Foods makes the new product in its manufacturing facility in Oakland, Calif. 

To see videos about the next-generation Impossible Burger, click here. To order the Impossible Burger, email [email protected]. 

BIG TASTE, SMALL FOOTPRINT

Based in Redwood City, Calif., Impossible Foods makes meat directly from plants—with a much smaller environmental footprint than meat from animals. The company uses modern science and technology to create wholesome and nutritious food, restore natural ecosystems and feed a growing population sustainably. 

To satisfy the global demand for meat at a fraction of the environmental impact, Impossible Foods developed a far more sustainable, scalable and affordable way to make meat, without the catastrophic environmental impact of livestock. 

Shortly after its founding in 2011, Impossible Foods’ scientists discovered that one molecule — “heme” — is uniquely responsible for the explosion of flavors that result when meat is cooked. Impossible Foods’ scientists genetically engineer and ferment yeast to produce a heme protein naturally found in plants, called soy leghemoglobin. 

The heme in Impossible Burger is identical to the essential heme humans have been consuming for hundreds of thousands of years in meat—and while the Impossible Burger delivers all the craveable depth of beef, it uses far fewer resources. 

To learn more about the scientific aspects of Impossible Burger 2.0, and why it rivals beef from cows for taste, nutrition and versatility, click on this blog by Impossible Foods’ Chief Science Officer Dr. David Lipman. 

ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE FOODS Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Impossible Foods makes delicious, nutritious meat and dairy products directly 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, Horizons Ventures, UBS, Viking Global Investors, Temasek, Sailing Capital, and Open Philanthropy Project. 

More information: impossiblefoods.com www.twitter.com/impossiblefoods www.facebook.com/impossiblefoods www.instagram.com/impossible_foods www.linkedin.com/company/impossible-foods-inc 

Press kit: www.impossiblefoods.com/media 

Media Contact: [email protected]