Impossible Foods has applauded a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the FDA’s approval of soy leghemoglobin (aka 'heme') - the star ingredient in its plant-based burgers - as a color additive.
Impossible Foods uses GM soy protein concentrate as its primary ingredient, while its flagship ingredient soy leghemoglobin - a protein that carries the iron-containing molecule ‘heme,’ which it says "
makes meat taste uniquely like meat" - is produced by a genetically engineered yeast strain (
P. pastoris), prompting pushback from anti-GMO activists and prompting some rivals (notably Beyond Meat) to make a virtue of their Non GMO credentials as the market heats up and brands