Impossible Burger’s Imitation Meat IsGetting Halal Certified

Great news for vegan burger lovers who keephalal

Impossible Foods creates that“bloody,”beef-like taste with heme, a protein found in blood, by recreating it with soyleghemoglobin and fermentation. The rest of the burger is made with wheat,coconut oil, potatoes, and other plant ingredients. Founded by former Stanfordbiochemistry professor Dr. Patrick Brown, the Redwood City headquarteredImpossible Foods now sells its products at 5,000 restaurants including majorchains like White Castle. That’s up hugely over just two years, when a handfulof high-end establishments like Jardiniere in San Francisco and Momofuku Nishiin New York first introduced the Impossible Burger to customers.

Next up is retail: The company has plans tosell directly to home cooks next year. And as Impossible grows, Halalcertification is likely to endear it to more customers. Halal, literally Arabicfor allowed or permitted, is a term that applies to products of all kinds, frommakeups to foods. To be halal, meat and poultry needs to be processed inaccordance wth Islamic requirements.

While the Impossible Burger is made fromplants, that doesn’t automatically a halal burger make. The Islamic Food andNutrition Council of America (IFANCA), which counts itself as the leadinghalal-certifying organization in the United States, still needs to perform areview of the product and its facility before it offers its certification. Ifthe burger contained alcohol, for instance, it could be disqualified.

In a similar process, Impossible foods wascertified Kosher by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of Americaearlier this year. Such certifications could also help Impossible stand out inthe growing imitation meat market: Competitor Beyond meats, for example, hasn’tyet been certified kosher or halal.

Link->https://sf.eater.com/2018/12/6/18129252/impossible-foods-burger-halal-certification