When I first saw Burger King’s advertisement for the Impossible Burger, my stomach did a triple somersault. This is because I have been following the development and deployment of this Franken-food with disgust for the last couple of years and the last place I expected it to ooze to the surface was at one of the world’s leading processed fast food chains. Burger King has gone above and beyond to make this genetically modified bacteria burger sound like a super-yummy healthy alternative to meat, but when you learn the truth, your stomach will lurch, too.
The funny thing about this is that I was just thinking about writing an article on this particular bit of nastiness from the GMO Franken-food industry when Acres USA published the following article by Andre Leu on their online magazine, Eco Farming Daily (which I also write for). In the article, PLANT SENTIENCE AND THE IMPOSSIBLE BURGER, Leu says, “The Impossible Burger is the ultimate product of industrial agriculture. This highly processed concoction uses pesticide-contaminated GMO soy, GMO corn and wheat produced from industrial monocultures. They are processed in a factory with chemical additives to give artificial flavor, texture and shelf life. One of the additives is a blood-like substance that is produced by genetically modified bacteria in large vats that are fed with carbohydrates produced from pesticide-dependent industrial agriculture. The additives used in this burger have no adequate testing to show that they are safe for human consumption, especially for children.”
Now you know why my stomach did an initial somersault, but the Impossible burger has many other negative implications for the world. The first of which Leu addresses in his opening salvo on the sentience of plants, a fact that I have known and taught for the better part of my adult life. Plants are just as alive and present as any other living thing on earth. The second is the way that corporate agriculture destroys the climate by releasing tons of carbon from the soil in their massive monocropping schemes, making this plant-based vegan-inspired Impossible [bacteria] Burger a huge part of the climate crisis.
That being said, if you are as disgusted by the genetic manipulation of our food supply and glyphosate-drenched food crops, then you will want to read the entire article at Eco Farming Daily right now! And thank you, Andre Leu and ACRES USA for supporting real solutions to excess carbon in the atmosphere and the regenerative, life-sustaining practice of ecological agriculture!
Opinion: Plant sentience and the Impossible Burger (André Leu)
Show Me Oz 
That is terrible to put blood-like substance from genetically modified bacteria in human food. The only way to stop this is for people to reject products from MacDonald’s, or Burger King or other food chains. People need to discern and question the quality of food, usually cheap stuff is full of chemicals. The same with advertising, the more you advertise a product, the worst quality it has. The main thing is discerning.
Great article Jill and thanks for sharing the ACRES article as well.
Thanks, Laura. I agree 100%. But what I just can’t understand is why, if vegans and vegetarians hate meat so much, why would they even want something they eat to taste like meat? I’m not trying to be mean to vegan/vegetarians, but maybe someone can explain that to me.
“One of the additives is a blood-like substance that is produced by genetically modified bacteria in large vats that are fed with carbohydrates produced from pesticide-dependent industrial agriculture. ”
This oughta be in the title or as a sub-title. Gah!
Thanks, Shell. It’s hard to fit all those little details in a title, but I did call it a GMO Bacteria Burger, which should get the point across quite nicely.
It was the word “Bacteria” that got my attention. I had heard about GMOs in it. My son who has never had meat in his life told me he had one of these recently! So I sent him your article. 🙂 He grew up eating veggie burgers which does not taste like meat but I guess it’s called a burger for it’s shape? IDK I guess some people go meatless for various reasons and still do want the meat taste. Love your blog!
Thank you, Shell. I think the name veggie burger is appropriate for those kinds of products, but for the life of me, I can’t understand why they would even want to eat something that tastes like a food that repulses them. The problem with Burger King’s Bacteria Burger is that it is not a healthy alternative to meat! It’s junk food made out of Round Up (cancer causing) Ready soybeans and genetically modified bacteria, plus a whole host of artificial flavorings, preservatives, and fillers, all of which totally go against anything anyone might call healthy – either for the body or for the earth.
Hi Jill, you have been on my mind a lot lately and just wanted to stop by and say HI! I am so glad you wrote this about that Impossible Burger…gross! I hate fake meat. Now if you want a veggie burger make it from scratch, black beans, oats, onions, garlic, peppers whatever. I have made some awesome veggie burgers.
Hoping we can get together soon…it feels strange being a “single” woman I so miss my Skipper. Not a day goes by that I don’t grief his loss. But I have to move on just glad I am busy.
This cold brutal weather is horrendous. Too early for this cold.
Love you bunches…give Dean a hug!
http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M15132 Become a Fan of my Facebook Page (Copy and paste in Facebook) http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Koshkonong-MO/Maranatha-Farms/110735465613500?ref=sgm
Thanks for stopping by and giving folks a good recipe for veggie burgers! It’s good for folks to have a healthy homemade alternative. I’ve been thinking of you, too. I’ll call… xoxoxo Jill
Hi Jill, so glad we got to visit before you left. Is this the best way to email you.
Me, too, Mary. I’ll contact you…
Hi, Jill. This is my first time reading your blog, which was linked in Dean’s “The Way of the Coyote” article in my email this morning. I’m so glad he included it!
I have been “growing vegan” over the last decade, and I’m on track to be free of consuming all animals and animal products as of January 1, 2020. My reason for this is that killing and eating animals — along with stealing their milk/eggs/etc. — are Satanic practices that I no longer want to align myself with.
The hardest to relinquish has been salmon, which I ate for the Omega 3s . . . and the taste. Then I recently saw a documentary that showed the heart-wrenching horrors of the fishing industry in the same week that I watched Mark Passio’s series on Satanism and the moral relativism of killing/eating animals, and I knew it was time to go 100% vegan. No more excuses.
As far as “fake” meat, I agree with you that the Impossible (bacteria) Burger is thoroughly disgusting, and I think it’s immoral to boot. Fortunately, my husband and I found that the Beyond Meat Burger is NOT a Franken-food. It is a delicious, non-GMO, plant-based alternative to eating animals. I prefer to make my own cruelty-free burgers, but Beyond Meat is a nice treat twice a month, and far cheaper than dining out!
All that said, the deal with meat substitutes, for me and my husband anyway, is enjoying a variety of textures and flavors in food. For example, who wants to eat oatmeal with bananas for every single breakfast for a lifetime (or even a month, for that matter)? Having soy- or wheat-based “meats” — which can also be made at home — offers taste and texture sensations that may indeed compare to eating animal flesh, but vegans-since-birth would have never known that experience and still enjoy a hearty meatless sausage, burger, or seitan cutlet.
Thank you again for your important post about GMO/bacteria-laced food-like substances!
Thank you, Sharine. I really appreciate your comments – particularly your review of the Beyond Meat burger vs the Impossible burger. There is obviously a big difference between the two and I’m glad you pointed that out. Many will find that very helpful. I also appreciate your wonderful answer to my somewhat silly question that asked why vegans would want to eat foods that taste like meat. Of course, you’re right. Who wants to eat the same thing every single day? I should know better. I have friends that eat only certain types of foods by choice, be it cultural or religious, as well as friends who simply can’t eat certain foods (including some types of meat) because glyphosate poisoning no longer allows their body to digest those particular types of proteins. They have little choice but to find alternatives and it’s not always as easy as it may seem to omnivores, like me. So, thanks again! Glad you stopped by!
I also had a gut wrenching reaction to the BK “Impossible Foods” Burger knowing who has financed that company also. I avoid fast food for at least a year now after I did the research. Remember that px of Epstein’s BFF sitting at a burger joint, yah same reaction. Please see a contact email to you today on your gardening site. Thank you.
Hi, Lisa. Thanks for your comments. I believe that this GMO Bacteria Burger is just the first in a long line of new fake foods (meat grown in a lab or cockroach protein, for example) that I believe is a slow tip-toe to all manner of genetically modified and fake food on a much bigger scale.
Hi Jill. Enjoy reading and hearing others thoughts on your site here. I am trying to be more organic, non-GMO, natural foods. I have read 2 of Dean’s books and would share thoughts( over coffee perhaps). I may be traveling thru Ozarks next week on the road from AZ to nw Georgia. Peace, Chris
Hi, Chris. Thanks for reaching out. Please send me a private message via the Contact for here on the website and let us know how to contact you directly. Thanks, Jill