MAKE IT TILL YOU FAKE IT
It feels like it has been a long time coming, but Impossible Burger patties finally arrived in Countdown supermarkets this month. The patties are vegan but meat-like thanks to the added blood. Not real blood, of course, but a version of blood’s heme component that is created with biotech trickery.
The American-made patties are not entirely new to Aotearoa. Four years ago, Air New Zealand sparked a debate over the future of our agricultural industry when it became the first airline in the world to serve the meatless burgers to its premium customers. And they have been available at select eateries for several months.
For consumers, though, it means more choice. The Impossible Burger joins the Beyond Burger, which is also American, and several Kiwi options.
The “fake meat” industry has been the hottest new thing in Silicon Valley for several years now. Alternative sources of protein that still taste like meat are touted as essential to feed the planet, slow climate change, conserve water, reduce agricultural pollution and animal exploitation, and even ward off heart disease. A local survey by Rabobank and food-waste charity KiwiHarvest last April found 30% of us want to eat less meat, and 45%
