The plant-based meat category is worth $939 million. In the U.S., dollar sales of plant-based meat grew 18 per cent in the past year and 38 per cent over the past two years. - The Good Food Institute

🕒 5.5 min read

You’ve read all the studies; you know the deal - plant-based food is the future. With vegetarian and vegan options wildly surpassing meat selections at restaurants and grocery stores - and expected to grow exponentially in popularity over the next few years, and the Beyond Meat frenzy long over, the arrival of Impossible Foods in Canada is long overdue.

For what it is, why it’s a big deal, and where to get it, here’s the 411:

Whose behind it? 

California-based Impossible Foods, founded in 2011, specializes in developing plant-based meat substitutions.

Great, but what’s in it?

The company’s chief product, Impossible Burger, is 100 per cent plant-based made from proteins from soy and potatoes, flavours from heme (company scientists genetically engineer and ferment yeast to produce a heme protein naturally found in plants called soy leghemoglobin), coconut and sunflower fats, binders, methylcellulose and food starch. It’s kosher, halal, and gluten-free certified.

Why should I care?

The award-winning bleeding burger has topped ‘best of’ lists for years, including top plant-based by The New York Times and received the Food and Beverage Award from the National Restaurant Association. The consensus is that it’s the closest thing to meat, in both taste and texture.

Did you know? The Impossible Burger debuted at chef David Chang’s New York eatery Momofuku Nishi in 2016. Naturally, it became a fave of chefs across the U.S.

Where can I get it?

Restaurants across the country are the first to get their hands on the vegan product, coveted by foodies south of the border and around the globe. Top Toronto chefs have created special menu items, available at their restaurants for a limited time:

Chef Mark McEwan’s iconic Bymark Burger has been on the menu since 2003. Now there’s an Impossible iteration. The Bymark Street Burger is crowned with beet chutney, pickled red onion, garlic aioli, aged white cheddar, and triple crunch mustard. Not feeling a burger right now? Try the Korean-style Dumplings.

Maker pizzas by Chef Matty Matheson are legend. And The Impossible Return of the Mac is no exception. Now topped with ground IB, can you tell the difference? 

For all the pasta lovers: One of the city’s top vegetarian/pescatarian destinations, Ufficio, is featuring chef/partner Ivana Raca’s Agnolotti d’Ivana made with plant-based mozzarella and ground Impossible Burger. 

The Chinese “Pineapple” Bun Burger at Patois is the OG smash burger. Chef Craig Wong’s vegetarian riff boasts double Impossible patties, umami mayo, hickory sticks and sesame chips. And a magical medley of Jamaican patty “meat,” triple-cooked thick-cut cassava fries, plant-based cheese, tomato, green onion, makes Cassava Fries Supreme Impossible a wise choice.

Additional local chefs have added their creative dishes made with the meat-facsimile to their menus, including Haan Palcu-Chang of Favorites Thai BBQ*, Graham Pratt at Woodhouse Brewing*, The Federal* and Gold Standard’s* Zach Slootsky, and Tricia Soo of Soos*. 

Find dishes made with Impossible’s “meat from plants” also available for a limited time at Joe Beef in Montreal, CHARCUT in Calgary, Ottawa’s Metropoliain Brasserie* and North & Navy*, and Hog Shack Cookhouse* in Vancouver.

*Order an Impossible dish at restaurants above with a *star to receive a “goodie bag” of Impossible merch, while supplies last. Diners are also eligible to win an “Impossible Mystery Box.” 

When can I get my hands on it?

An exclusive sneak peek at all the eateries above is on now for the next two weeks.  

Restaurants will be able to order Impossible Foods’ plant-based meat - burgers, sausage, and pork - come October. And the meat-facsimile patties - aka Impossible Burgers - will be available later this year at additional restaurants, as well as grocery stores, across Canada.

Stay tuned.

____

For breaking news, updates + to keep up to date, follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter.