Attracted $ 250 million startup Impossible Foods had no doubt that the authorities will appreciate juicy burgers from imitation meat. However, the US regulator FDA considered otherwise. Management recognized the "secret ingredient" in artificial cutlets as a potential allergen, which people had never eaten before.

The New York Times has access to the documents of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which discusses the safety of ingredients in the "meat" of the startup Impossible Foods.

The ambitious company raised $ 250 million from large investors and planned to produce up to 450 tons of artificial meat products per month. Cutlets from Impossible Foods really resemble real ones both in taste and in consistency - when pressed, the meat even gives off reddish juice like steak.

The plausibility of the company was achieved thanks to the soybean leghemoglobin. In nature this substance is contained in tubers of leguminous plants, but the startup receives it in the laboratory. It is leghemoglobin caused concern in the FDA. As early as 2015, when considering an application from Impossible Foods, regulator representatives said that people have never eaten this kind of hemoglobin and its safety is not proven.

According to the NYT, this case shows how often modern popular startups run into the harsh reality of government regulation - and even financial support from billionaire Bill Gates in such situations does not matter.

At the same time formally Impossible Foods could do without the regulator's assessment. The company hoped to get approval to strengthen its reputation, but it turned out differently.

This is not the first such case. Hampton Creek Company faced criticism of the FDA after launching the product Just Mayo - mayonnaise, created without the use of eggs. According to the regulations, mayonnaise by definition includes eggs. The FDA required to put on the label a large marking on the lack of a key ingredient.

Despite the FDA's disapproval, Impossible Foods has the right to sell its products - by the end of the year, cutlets from imitation meat should appear in 1,000 catering establishments. However, management's opinion can affect consumers who are not yet ready to trade real meat for a synthetic.

The startup plans to file a new application with the FDA this month and this time to prove that leghemoglobin is completely safe and does not cause allergies. The company claims to have successfully tested on rats.

Although the synthesized meat society still perceives skeptically, the product has already received the support of leaders in the field of IT. So, recently in favor of alternative meat products spoke the founder of the Virgin Group Richard Branson. Also, several initiative groups engaged in lobbying artificial cutlets and steaks. According to experts' forecasts, by 2020 the meat market from the test tube will reach $ 5 billion - every year it will increase by 8.4%.

Source: High Tech.