SAN FRANCISCO – After premiering the Impossible Burger 2.0 at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this month, Impossible Foods decided to push up its rollout of the product nationwide.
The company plans to put the Impossible Burger 2.0 in 200 restaurants this week and thousands more in the coming weeks.
The latest iteration of the burger will contain no gluten, no animal hormones and no antibiotics. It will also be kosher and halal-certified. The new Impossible Burger also has 0 mg cholesterol, 14 grams of total fat and 240 calories in a quarter-pound patty.
“The new recipe has only been available for a week, but we’ve been blown away by the positive response — from media, top-tier chefs, restaurant owners and particularly diners,” said David Lee, Impossible Foods’ chief operating officer and chief financial officer. “Our longtime restaurant partners are asking to get it as quickly as possible -- and we’re thrilled they can get this exclusive opportunity.”
In 2019, the Impossible Burger 2.0 was available in 20 restaurants, but it will be moved into the following locations during this week:
• Grindhouse Killer Burgers (Georgia)
• Gott’s (San Francisco Bay Area)
• M Burger (Chicago)
• Mendocino Farms (California)
• B Spot and Bar Symon (Ohio)
• Monty’s Good Burger (Southern California)
• Clover Food Lab (Boston)
• Wahlburgers (Boston only)
• Ciccio Restaurant Group (including Daily Eats, Better Byrd, Ciccio Water, Green Lemon, and Ciccio Cali in Brandon, Tampa Palms and St. Petersburg)
• The Counter (nationwide)
• Bareburger (nationwide)
• Hopdoddy (nationwide)
• Umami (nationwide)
Starting Feb. 4, the next-generation Impossible Burger will be available to all restaurants in the United States through major food distributors.
Impossible Foods produces the plant-based burgers and other products at the company’s 68,000-sq.-ft. production plant in Oakland, California.
According to Impossible Foods, the Impossible Burger is the world's first and only burger that handles, cooks and tastes like ground beef from cows — but is made entirely from plants. The burger’s crucial ingredient is leghemoglobin, or “heme.” Heme gives the Impossible Burger its bleeding attribute and creates the flavor in raw and cooked product. Heme reacts with the proteins, amino acids, sugars and vitamins in the blend.
The company also claims the Impossible Burger generates about 87 percent fewer greenhouse gases, uses 75 percent less water and requires about 95 percent less land than conventional ground beef.