What a Dietitian Thinks About Impossible Food's Impossible 'Pork'—Is It Really Better for You?
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Impossible Foods just launched its new plant-based pork product, Impossible Pork.
Impossible Pork is available at one New York City restaurant and will soon be available in Hong Kong and Singapore. Impossible Foods has yet to announce when the product will be readily available in the U.S.
A dietitian explains if Impossible Pork is a healthy plant-based alternative to traditional pork.
If you lined up at Starbucks to try the Impossible breakfast sandwich and ordered Burger King to taste the Impossible Whopper, get excited because the plant-based meat brand just launched its very first Impossible Pork product.
Impossible Pork is now available at New York’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar, and will be at more than 100 restaurants in Hong Kong beginning October 4 and Singapore in November, according to a press release. Impossible Foods has not announced when the Impossible Pork product will be available in grocery stores, according to an Impossible Foods representative, but for now, we're envious of anyone who gets to taste the new item.
If you’re lucky enough to live in the New York City area and can snag a table at Momofuku Ssäm Bar, you can try the ground pork in their newest, limited-edition menu item. The spicy rice cakes with Impossible Pork ragu are mixed with fermented bean and chili sauce and topped off with fried crispy shallots, broccoli stems, and whipped tofu.
As per all of Impossible’s products and many plant-based meat alternatives, the main focus is that their meat-free ingredients offer environmentally-friendly options to those looking to cut down on their meat consumption. Pork accounts for 38% of meat production worldwide, according to Impossible Food’s Instagram. When you swap out traditional pork (from pigs) with Impossible Pork, you use 81% less water, 77% less greenhouse gas emissions, and 66% less land, according to the brand.
How does Impossible Pork taste?
Impossible Foods described the Impossible pork as “having a mild savory flavor and balanced umami richness without being gamey or overpowering.” An editor at Women’s Health who had the opportunity to try the product said, “I tasted the pork and liked the flavor and texture (which tastes exactly like ground pork from a pig) even better than Impossible's original ground beef substitute.”
We haven’t had the chance to try it ourselves, but in a blind taste test conducted by Impossible Foods of more than 200 consumers in Hong Kong, Impossible Pork was preferred up to 54% of the time over traditional ground pork. It scored higher in overall liking, flavor, texture, and purchase intent, according to the press release.
What is the Impossible Pork made of?
For a plant-based patty, we aren't seeing too many ingredients from actual plants on their list, but it is similar to their other meatless products. The ingredients include water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and natural flavors, with 2% or less of methylcellulose, cultured dextrose, food starch-modified, salt, soy leghemoglobin, mixed tocopherols (antioxidant), and soy protein isolate.
Plus, Impossible Foods lists additional vitamins and minerals including zinc gluconate, thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1), niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), Riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamin B12.
Impossible Pork nutrition:
When it comes to macros and overall nutrition, a four-ounce portion of ground Impossible Pork contains:
Calories: 220
Fat: 13g
Saturated Fat: 7g
Sodium: 290 mg
Carbohydrates: 9g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 18g
Is Impossible Pork healthy?
With 18 grams of protein, 37% fewer calories, 59% less total fat, and 36% less saturated fat compared to 70/30 ground pork, it would look like Impossible Pork is a healthy alternative to traditional pork products.
“I would consider the Impossible Pork a healthy option for those in the mood for pork or trying to include more non-meat options in their diet,” says Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N, Nutrition Consultant and author of The Small Change Diet.
Compare it to an average four ounces of ground pork, and you’ll cut down on calories, saturated fat, and sodium, but lose a bit of protein with the Impossible Pork product, Gans says. She notes that ground pork nutrition can range depending on the percentage of lean meat, and pork tenderloin offers even fewer calories, saturated fat, and sodium compared to ground.
The alternative-pork product does include some saturated fat (which is typically found in red meat), which many other plant-based patties don’t contain. Depending on your diet, this may not be an issue, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re aiming to lower your saturated fat intake, Gans says. “And the sodium may be still higher than ideal, but it is on the lower end compared to many packaged products, and lower than the Impossible Burger,” Gans adds.
Taking a look at the nutrition label, there are a few standout additions that make the Impossible Pork a great option. Impossible Foods has fortified the product with B vitamins, which many plant-based eaters tend to fall short on, and it has fiber, which many Americans need more of in their diet, Gans says. “I especially like that the four-ounce serving comes with four grams of heart-healthy fiber, something that you don’t find in animal meat,” Gans says.
Ingredient-wise, the new Impossible Pork product doesn’t come with as many plant ingredients as you’d expect from a plant-based burger, except soy, Gans says. But, she doesn’t find any of the ingredients to be particularly concerning.
What’s the best way to enjoy Impossible Pork?
The ground pork alternative can be used in any ground meat dish like spring rolls, meatballs, dumplings, xiao long bao, shumai or tacos, and can be cooked in a steamer, over, charbroiler, flat-top grill or sautéed, according to Impossible Foods.
Once available in stores, try a healthier spin on your favorite ground pork recipes and include it in meatballs, as taco meat, in a veggie stir-fry with brown rice, or in a Bolognese sauce for pasta, Gans suggests.
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