At-a-glance

• Impossible Foods (IF), maker of the Impossible Burger (IB) began with the extraction of heme from the root nodules of soybean plants. To quicken the process, they extracted DNA from the soy plants and inserted into a GE yeast.
• The initial review by the FDA denied IF’s application for the IB for GRAS certification (Generally Recognized as Safe).
• One safety study was submitted to the FDA by IF using 20 rats for 28 days: a very small sample size and a very short time of study.  A review of their research by GMOScience noted that the researchers reported changes in blood chemistry and disruptive changes in the reproductive cycle.  These changes were deemed as “non-adverse” and having “no toxicological relevance”: (https://gmoscience.org//rat-feeding-studies-suggest-the-impossible-burger-may-not-be-safe-to-eat/)
• GMOFreeUSA began their own Citizen Science evaluating allergic reactions reported by eaters (https://gmofreeusa.org/take-action/impossible-burger-health-survey/) and are reporting many adverse/allergic reactions by consumers.
• The reason for the introduction of this burger is so that one may experience the taste of meat without eating meat. Vegetarians may obtain iron from many other plant-based sources.