USA – As demand for online shopping surges and many grocery stores impose quotas on meat, Impossible Foods has launched a new e-commerce platform allowing US consumers to purchase its plant-based burger.
The food-tech startup said that the direct-to-consumer channel will offers family-size quantities of the Impossible Burger starting at US$49.99 with compostable, recyclable packaging, free shipping and two-day home delivery.
The meat asile producer will offer its plant-based burger in various bundles; “Impossible Convenience Pack” – four 12-oz. packages for US$49.99; “Impossible Combo Pack” – two 12-oz. packages and ten quarter-pound patties for US$59.99; “Impossible Family Pack” – a single, 5-lb bulk package for $64.99 and “Impossible Grilling Pack” – twenty quarter-pound patties for $69.99.
Impossible Foods further revealed that it has increased its retail footprint nearly 20-fold since the start of 2020, and its flagship product is now available in over 3,000 grocery stores nationwide.
In May this year, the company announced a partnership with America’s largest grocery retailer, The Kroger Co., to rollout its Impossible Burgeat more than 1,700 grocery stores owned by Kroger nationwide as well as the retailer’s online platforms. Impossible Foods has unveiled plans of expanding its retail footprint more than 50-fold this year alone.
Impossible Foods settles trademark battle with Nestlé
The US-based company recently won and injunction in a trademark infringement case after an European Union court ordered the global food conglomerate, Nestlé to stop using the product name “Incredible Burger” and further prohibited several Nestlé from marketing its products under “Incredible Burger.”
The District Court of The Hague ruled on 27 May that the use of “Incredible Burger” in Europe infringed upon Impossible Foods’ Impossible trademarks, including Impossible Burger, and was likely to confuse customers.
As a result, Nestlé subsidiaries in Europe were prohibited from branding products “Incredible Burger.” Nestlé launched the Incredible Burger under its Garden Gourmet brand in Europe last year.
The court further ruled that if Nestlé or its subsidiaries fail to remove the infringing branding within four weeks, each of 10 separate Nestlé subsidiaries involved in the case would be subject to a penalty of €25,000 per day.
In the ruling, the court stated that Nestlé appeared to have deliberately tried to impede Impossible Foods’ entry into the European market hoping to capitalize on the strength of Impossible Foods’ brand by promoting its own plant-based foods under a similar name.
“While we applaud other companies’ efforts to develop plant-based products, we don’t want consumers confused by simulacra,” commented said Dana Wagner, Impossible Foods’ Chief Legal Officer.
“We’re grateful that the court recognized the importance of our trademarks and supported our efforts to protect our brand against incursion from a powerful multinational giant.”
