A new food group is reaching restaurants all around Atlanta: The Impossible Burger. This vegan alternative to a beef burger has captured the interest of customers all around the country as it is very similar to beef.
The Impossible Burger is made with water, wheat protein, potato protein, a selection of vitamins and other natural flavors. It was created by Impossible Foods in 2011, but is just recently reaching popularity. The ingredient that makes it so similar to meat is heme protein, which is found in both plants and animals.
“I’ve been wanting to go try the burger ever since I heard it came to Yeah! Burger,” said Inman student Lacey Berreth. “A lot of my friends have had it and it looks really interesting.”
The Impossible Burger is currently available at restaurants in Atlanta, including Yeah! Burger and Grindhouse Killer Burgers. Many students at Grady frequent these restaurants and have tried the burger already.
“It was actually pretty good, like I wouldn’t have known that it wasn’t real meat,” said sophomore Avery Forster. “It tasted similar and even looked like beef. It seems like a really good alternative for vegans and vegetarians.”
Grindhouse serves the burger with a vegan bun, lettuce, onion, and tomato making the dish completely vegan. However, customers can choose to add American cheese or other toppings. The burger is not only popular within the vegan community as meat eaters have tried it as a healthy alternative.
“I had my burger with lettuce, tomato, and ketchup, so it was completely vegan…” said Forster. “It was probably one of the best meat substitutes I’ve had.”
Impossible Foods was able to promote the burger through Instagram and other social media platforms. As soon as the burger reaches new locations, there will be a line of customers waiting to try it.
“There’s always a long line of kids at Yeah! Burger after school on Friday,” said Berreth. “If all of them ordered an Impossible Burger, I think a lot more people would hear about it and come to try it. This could probably help with promotion.”
Impossible Foods created the burger to help carry out their mission. By reducing the number of people eating beef every day, they are helping cows and the environment. The agriculture industry contributes to the greenhouse gases and Impossible Foods is attempting to cut down these emissions.
“The environment is actually very important to me. I watched a documentary about how the agricultural industry impacts the environment and it completely changed my outlook on meat,” said freshman Jordyn Bumgardner. “Impossible Burger’s mission seems really cool and I think it will help begin a change in our country.”