USA – Impossible Foods, a company known for making plant-based meat designed to taste, cook and look like real meat, has announced plans of producing a plant-based milk alternative called Impossible Milk.
According to the company, the milk is not designed to be just another soy milk or nut-based milk alternative, instead, it is designed to function and behave just like the animal-derived cow’s milk.
In a demonstration from the company’s food lab, a researcher showed samples of Impossible Milk side by side other plant-based milks like almond milk and soy milk, to show that the Impossible Milk looks much more like cow milk than the others.
According to her, Impossible Milk is designed to be just as creamy as regular milk and will not curdle in hot beverages like other plant-based milks will. She demonstrated this by mixing it in a cup of hot coffee, and it did not appear to curdle. Impossible Milk can also apparently be frothed just regular milk.
Impossible Milk is designed to be just as creamy as regular milk and will not curdle in hot beverages like other plant-based milks will.
Expanding research and development team
The company also announced that it plans to double the size of its research and development team over the next 12 months. As part of this plan, it has launched the “Impossible Investigator” project that is designed to draw scientists from all over the world to join its team.
According to Impossible Foods, these scientists will have the “facilities, resources and innovative environment to create an entirely new technology platform to replace animals as our technology for turning plants into meat, fish and dairy foods.”
Entering the Asian market
Impossible Foods has also launched its plant-based meat alternative in Asian grocery stores for the first time, in an effort to accelerate its international growth.
The company’s flagship product, Impossible Beef, will go on sale in about 200 grocery stores across Hong Kong and Singapore. These include ParknShop, FairPrice and online retailer RedMart.
According to Reuters, the launch comes as Impossible Foods awaits approval from Chinese regulators as its key ingredient heme, made via genetically modified yeast, requires approval by the country.
The launch marks the first time Impossible Beef has been made available for people at home via retail outside of the US. It follows its debut in select Asian restaurants two years ago.
“The world’s most respected chefs consistently tell us that the Impossible Burger blows them away. And we can’t wait for Hong Kong and Singapore’s home chefs to experience the same magic in their own kitchens — whether using Impossible Beef in their traditional family favourites or inventing new recipes that go viral,” said Impossible Foods’ CEO and founder Patrick Brown.
Earlier this year, the company secured US$200 million in its latest funding round. Meanwhile, Beyond Meat signed a deal which will see it begin the production of its plant-based meat products in China.
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