THE IMPOSSIBLE WHOPPER AT BURGER KING

Information updated April 2024

We’ve all heard of it! Have you had one yet? Wanna see what’s in the Impossible Burger at Burger King? (Source for Ingredients: Impossible Foods Web site 4/24)

THE IMPOSSIBLE FOODS’ PLANT-BASED MEAT IS FAR FROM HOMEMADE: It's no surprise that Impossible Foods’ plant-based meat is Far From Homemade™ given its creation story. The product contains soy derivatives, commercially extracted proteins, added flavors, thickening and binding agents, added fortification and numerous ingredients which are commercial-grade, mass food production items. 

The Impossible patty contains several ingredients Not In Kitchen™ >> ingredients which would never be in our home kitchens.

This Impossible Foods’ patty is available at Burger King.

To note, unlike other comparisons we've made to homemade, this one is tough since the Impossible meat was created in a laboratory >> it is hard to compare it to a homemade version since we would never be able to make this ourselves at home. Nonetheless, there are ingredients in an Impossible Foods’ plant-based meat which are clearly not things we would use at home to make, say, a plant-based meat substitute or a veggie burger.

THERE ARE NUMEROUS INGREDIENTS IN THE IMPOSSIBLE PATTY AND THE FIRST INGREDIENT IS WATER. Ingredients are always listed in descending order of amount. (Source for ingredients: Impossible Foods Web site 4/24; Nutritional data: Burger King Web site 4/24)

Q: What is Yeast Extract? Is that the same as Yeast?

A: No. Yeast Extract is a flavor enhancer which contains Glutamic acid >> that's the thing in Monosodium Glutamate that makes things taste good but is also potentially harmful. Yeast Extracts are concentrations of dead yeast cells with their cell walls disintegrated by their own digestive systems. According to the U.S. FDA 2024, “The FDA does not allow foods that contain Yeast Extract to say ‘No MSG’ because both MSG and Yeast Extract contain potentially harmful Glutamates” (the ‘G’ in MSG stands for Glutamate)

According to the Environmental Working Group 2024, Natural Flavors can contain anywhere from 50 to 100 ingredients. 

Chains such as Bareburger and Wahlburgers began selling Impossible Burgers long before Burger King:

“This is science. This is not cooking.” - Mr. Paul Wahlberg of Wahlburgers

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE: Seen below, a comparison of Impossible to Hilary’s Veggie Burgers with no Added Sugar, Soy, Corn, Nuts, Chemical Preservatives or Fortification. (Source: Hilary’s Eat Well Web site 4/24)

Here are a couple of Veggie Burgers from Amy’s with ingredients which are Closest To Homemade:

Learn more about Synthetic Meat from expert Dr. Cate Shanahan:

Discover food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

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