Market Updates, Products & Ingredients

Impossible Foods Launches Plant-Based Chicken Nuggets

Seven out of 10 consumers preferred the plant-based alternative to animal-based chicken nuggets in a blind taste test, the company reports.

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By: Mike Montemarano

Plant-based meat company Impossible Foods announced the launch of its newest product, Impossible Chicken Nuggets, a plant-based alternative to conventional chicken nuggets that was preferred in a blind taste-test against their animal counterpart.
 
According to the comparison against a leading unnamed brand, seven out of 10 consumers preferred Impossible Chicken Nuggets, which scored higher in every category, including flavor, texture, and overall appearance. The test was conducted in Irving, TX, among 201 meat-eating consumers, many of whom also regularly eat plant-based products, Impossible Foods reports.  
 
According to Pat Brown, founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, this taste test was about more than a mere cross-comparison between two products.
 
“We are tremendously excited about our Impossible Nuggets. But this launch isn’t really about nuggets. It’s about the historic inflection point we’ve reached,” Pat Brown, founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, said. “For the first time, consumers unquestionably prefer meat made from plants instead of meat from an iconic animal. In the battle for the future of food, this is the first time that David has categorically bested Goliath, but it won’t be the last.”
 
Now available through major foodservice distributors, Impossible Chicken Nuggets will be appearing on the menus of several chefs in the U.S., including David Chang’s fried chicken concept Fuku in New York City, Marcus Samuelsson’s comfort food eatery Red Rooster in Harlem and Miami, Sean Brock’s fast food tribute Joyland in Nashville, Tal Ronne’s Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles, and El Alto Jr., a State Street Market pop-up in Los Altos, California, by Traci Des Jardins.
 
Longtime Impossible Foods customers, such as Fatburger, Bay Area-based Gott’s Roadside, and select Dog Haus locations nationwide will also be introducing Impossible Nuggets in their menus next week, the company reports. They will also appear in the frozen aisles of Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, ShopRite, Giant Stores, Gelsons, and other supermarkets, with availability anticipated to expand to 10,000 grocery stores by later this year.
 
Impossible Chicken Nuggets contain 40% less saturated fat (2 grams vs. 3.5 grams per serving) and 25% less sodium (400 mg vs. 540 mg per serving) than animal chicken nuggets, along with 12 grams of protein, no animal antibiotics, and no cholesterol.

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