Impossible Foods launches its leanest, most protein-packed beef from plants yet

California-based Impossible Foods has expanded its plant-based meat portfolio with a leaner version of its flagship Impossible Beef product: Impossible Beef Lite.

Impossible Beef Lite is designed to be better than lean ground animal beef, featuring 21g of protein, no trans fat or cholesterol, and 75% less saturated fat as well as 45% less total fat than 90/10 lean beef from cows. The nutrient-packed product is also a good source of fiber, iron, B vitamins, zinc, and potassium while featuring 33% less sodium than a competitor’s plant-based beef product.

In a press release, the company suggested that Impossible Beef Lite tastes, cooks and satisfies like lean ground animal beef, and makes for a flavorful, high-protein addition to numerous dishes like tacos, chilis, stir-frys, soups, and classic lasagna. And like all Impossible Beef products, Impossible Beef Lite is a better choice for the planet than lean ground beef from cows – amounting to a fraction of the land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

"We’re constantly working to compete with beef in all of the ways that matter to consumers, including nutrition,” said Peter McGuinness, President & CEO of Impossible Foods. “A lot of health-conscious fans and shoppers are looking for a plant-based beef option that’s high in protein and nutrients with even less fat, and Impossible Beef Lite is our solution to that. It’s got 21g of high-quality protein, a whopping 75% less saturated fat than lean ground beef from cows, and of course no cholesterol. It's a perfect plant-based way to customize all of the great recipes that call for lean animal ground beef."

The new plant-based beef offering complements the company’s existing Impossible Beef product, which is the number one best-selling retail product across the entire US plant-based meat category in both dollar sales and volume, and is the best-selling product by volume of any plant-based meat brand in US food-service. Impossible Beef already compares favorably to conventional 80/20 beef from cows in terms of nutrition – containing less total fat, less saturated fat, 0mg of cholesterol, and additional nutrients like fiber and B vitamins. Both products contain none of the animal hormones or animal antibiotics associated with animal meat.

Since the launch of Impossible Burger in 2016, Impossible Foods has continued to improve the taste, texture, and nutrition profile of its proprietary plant-based beef recipe. In 2019, it launched a more versatile '2.0' recipe (opens in a new tab)to widespread critical acclaim(opens in a new tab), followed by another recipe update in 2022 which achieved a 25% reduction in saturated fat (6g per 113g serving) compared to the prior version (8g per 113g serving). With the addition of Impossible Beef Lite, consumers have even more ways to experience and enjoy ground beef from plants just like they do ground beef from animals.

Impossible Beef Lite marks the fourth new product launched by the company in 2023, following its debut of three new plant-based chicken products last month. In 2022, Impossible Foods achieved record sales and launched a series of new plant-based products, including Impossible Sausage Links, Impossible Wild Nuggies, Impossible Chicken Patties and Impossible Bowls. The company continues to be the fastest-growing plant-based meat brand in US retail stores, where it experienced more than 50% dollar sales growth last year.