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On this day in vegan history · January 7, 2019

Impossible Burger 2.0 Debuts, Built for Meat Eaters

Impossible Foods rebuilt its plant-based patty from the ground up, gluten-free and blind-tested against real ground beef, and aimed it squarely at people who had no intention of going vegan.

The facts

Date
January 7, 2019
Debut restaurant
Border Grill, Las Vegas
Recipe change
Wheat protein replaced with soy protein, making the patty gluten-free
Taste test
More than 1,500 consumers in blind tests against 80/20 ground beef

On January 7, 2019, Impossible Foods began serving a reworked version of its plant-based burger at Border Grill in Las Vegas, ahead of a formal unveiling at CES the same week, the first food product ever featured at the tech show. The company swapped wheat protein for soy, making the patty gluten-free and sturdy enough to stand in for ground beef in dumplings, lasagna, and sloppy joes, not just burgers. More than 1,500 consumers took part in blind taste tests against conventional 80/20 ground beef before the relaunch. The pitch wasn't aimed at vegans. It was aimed at people who loved meat and had no plans to stop eating it.

In their words

The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.

  1. We are relentless in our quest to consistently improve the Impossible Burger. The cow can't compete.

    David Lipman, Impossible Foods Chief Science Officer, on the Impossible Burger 2.0 launch

    Source: FSR Magazine

  2. The newest Impossible Burger delivers everything that matters to hard-core meat lovers, including taste, nutrition and versatility.

    Patrick O. Brown, Impossible Foods CEO and Founder

    Source: FSR Magazine

Why it still matters

The relaunch marked a deliberate bet that plant-based meat would win by matching beef on taste and versatility, not by appealing to conscience, a strategy that shaped how the alt-meat industry marketed itself for years afterward.

See it in the 2013-now timeline

Sources

This history is still being written.

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