The Impossible Burger was approved for sale too fast with a key ingredient that hasnโt faced enough scrutiny to prove itโs OK to eat, a federal agency in charge of food safety claims.
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) is filing a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleging its approval of the popular product was premature and failed to meet safety testing standards.ย ย
This โdereliction of duty highlights a troubling deregulatory trend which prioritizes corporate profit over public health and safety,โย a CFS releaseย stated.
The Impossible Burger started appearing on menus and store shelves in 2019 and has been heralded as a convincing meat substitute partly because of a unique ingredient that allows it to โbleed.โย
That ingredient, known as soy leghemoglobin, or โheme,โ is a genetically engineered yeast that has never been used in foods before, the CFS claims in its latest brief.ย
Regulators with CFS report a โtroublingโ study done on rats showing heme disrupted reproductive cycles, reduced clotting ability, caused kidney problems and triggered the development of anemia.ย
The FDA initially refused approval of heme in Impossible Burger meat in 2015 because of these issues, according to GMO Science. Impossible Burger came back in 2017 with studies that were โstatistically weak,โ GMO Science reports.ย
โEnthusiasm for meatless products cannot be used as an excuse to skirt food safety laws,โ the CFS said.ย
Heme is modeled after a soybean protein found in the plantโs roots, but also holds more than a dozen other yeast proteins.ย
The CFS argues heme is used in Impossible Burgers only as a color additive and because of that must pass a higher standard when it comes to food safety.ย
Because heme only offers aesthetic benefits, the FDAโs โconvincing evidenceโ standard means heme must pass tougher scrutiny to be deemed safe to eat, the CFS claims.
โFDAโs failure to require Impossible Foods to conduct long-term tests โฆ means it does not have โconvincing evidenceโ that this color additive, consumed by millions, is safe,โ said CFS attorney Ryan Talbott. โThe approval of soy leghemoglobin must be revoked, unless and until truly convincing evidence proves it to be safe.โ
Do you eat Impossible Burger products? What do you think of the safety claims surrounding heme? Let us know in the comments below.ย
Counsel representing the CFE in this lawsuit are Ryan D. Talbott and Sylvia Shih-Yau Wu of the Center for Food Safety.ย
The Impossible Burger Lawsuit is Center For Food Safety v. U.S. Food And Drug Administration, et al., Case No. 20-70747 in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.ย ย
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301 thoughts onImpossible Burger Not Tested Enough, Food Safety Regulator Says
Please add me. I have eaten loads of this product.
My dr even raved about this burger.. some I bought my 1st one at Burger King, thought it was great, but now I have to question the safety of this really? Keep me updated. Add me and I will not eat another until I no itโs safe
Add please
the burger was terrible, it left me feeling ill for days with nausea, also there really is no taste, just whatever condiments are used. I will not eat one again, left me feeling queasy
Weโre not vegans, but weโve tried this several times and cooked it every way imaginable. Donโt believe what you see on TV! This stuff, regardless of whatโs in it or how you cook it does not remotely compare to meat. So, itโs heralded as a convincing meat because of a unique ingredient that allows it to โbleed?โ Seriously? The ingredient is leghemoglobin which is a genetically engineered yeast. Do they really think that vegans or non-vegans can be convinced to buy this stuff because it can produce a pseudo bleeding effect? I can assure them that vegans and non-vegans are not looking for fake blood oozing out of their fake meat.
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Oh my god I give up. What can we eat in this country? Itโs all lethal. So scared. I have both parents with cancer and I turned to this brand claiming Its healthy so I can help keep my parents healthy with what they eat and look at this nonsense. Iโm so upset and worried. Please add me
Ive purchased this also. Please add me.
Add me please
wow, just purchased a large quantity of impossible burger meat, eat it all the time, at home and at restaurants. WOW, PLEASE ADD ME, THANK YOU