The Silicon Valley startup behind the plant - based Impossible Burger seems to have evaded concerns that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would deem an ingredient in its solid food potentially insecure .
The New York Timesreported a year agothat document obtained through Freedom of Information postulation by advocacy mathematical group showed that an ingredient in Impossible Foods ’ burgers — soy leghemoglobin — had raised cherry-red flags within the FDA .
Soy leghemoglobin , a protein found in the Glycine max rootage , is what gives the Impossible Burger its meaty , “ fucking ” texture . inconceivable Foods putyears of evolution and millions of dollarsinto making a plant life - based Warren Earl Burger that was actually burgery — thanks to major investor like Khosla Ventures , Google Ventures , and Bill Gates .
Last year ’s report showed that Impossible Burger wanted the FDA to determine that soya bean leghemoglobin is secure for humans to wipe out , but the Union agency was reportedly concerned that the constituent could be an allergen and had never been eaten by people .
“ FDA believes the arguments presented , one by one and collectively , do not base the refuge of soy leghemoglobin for consumption , nor do they point to a general recognition of safety , ” reads a 2015 FDA memorandum , included in those documents .
This report did not mean that the FDA found the solid food to be unsafe and it did not prevent Impossible Foods from selling the burger . AsArs Technica points out , the 1938 Food , Drug and Cosmetic Act and the 1958 Food Additives Amendment let company do their own tests to make up one’s mind if a food deserves a GRAS ( by and large recognise As Safe ) note . The company can then utilize that GRAS naming and does not ask approval from the FDA . The FDA only intervenes if it see relate issues .
Still , the report from the Times was seen as a blow to the operation ’s reputation . The Times reported that Impossible Foods planned on resubmitting a petition .
On Monday , Impossible Foods released a alphabetic character the FDA sentin response to the company ’s filing from August of last year . Those filings admit the company’s1,063 - page documentof its own finding showing that its Impossible Burger is GRAS . In its varsity letter , the FDA says it does not call into question the company ’s findings , but also put forward that the letter “ is not an avowal that soybean leghemoglobin preparation is GRAS . ”
Impossible Foods find out this response as good news . “A no - question letter in our opinion validates the work that our scientists have done to make the Impossible Burger a good , sustainable food , ” Impossible Food ’s voice Rachel Konrad recount Gizmodo . “ We see this as a crowing triumph for Impossible Foods — and also for science , the food industry , people and the satellite . ”
So if you were worried about the Impossible Burger , now you may eat the works - ground patty at Momofuku Nishi or White Castle with slightly more peace of mind .
[ Ars Technica , Impossible Foods ]
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