As millions of people seek alternatives to meat in hopes of cutting back on consumption, the plant-based burger sector has seized the opportunity to become one of the fastest-growing new players in the food industry.
Creating “beef” patties out of a variety of plant-based ingredients, many of these companies have managed to creates textures to real beef burgers.
The Impossible Burger company is perhaps the most famous in this department, but the ingredient it uses to achieve its signature texture and appearance is heme, also known as soy leghemoglobin, or SLH.
This particular ingredient just so happens to be made from genetically modified (GMO) soy, according to a new report from the Moms Across America website.
While many people view the Impossible Burger as a healthier choice compared to regular beef, they are neglecting to mention that the aforementioned ingredient, GMO soy, according to the MAM lab results.
Now, the burger is also being exposed for its surprisingly high levels of one of the most controversial cancer-linked substances found on our food today: glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto and Bayer’s best-selling Roundup weedkiller.
Impossible Burger Tests Positive for High Levels of Carcinogen
In 2015, the top cancer research body of the IARC reviewed literature on glyphosate and declared it a “probable human carcinogen,” a claim that Monsanto denied.
But recent court cases have seen multiple plaintiffs awarded huge sums of money, proving to juries that this chemical led to cancer forming in their bodies.
The Impossible Burger is currently enjoying record sales at Gelson’s Market in California, select New York locations, and many other stores across the country, with consumers scrambling to buy the trendy meat substitute product and the toppings to go with it.
But this hunger for the Impossible Burger is being offset by the latest lab test results from Moms Across America: the Impossible Burger tested 11 times higher for glyphosate weedkiller residue than its competitor Beyond Burger, and that’s to say nothing of the fact that it has major ties to both the Bill Gates Foundation and Monsanto itself.
Health Advocates “Gravely Concerned” by Widely Consumed GMO Impossible Burger
Zen Honeycutt, the executive director of Moms Across America, said following the release of her organization’s lab results she was especially concerned because many people still falsely believe the burger is a healthy option.
“I am gravely concerned that consumers are being misled to believe the Impossible Burger is healthy,” she said.
According to her organization’s lab tests, the Impossible Burger tested at 11.3 parts per billion (ppb) of glyphosate, compared with just 1 ppb for the Beyond Meat Burger.
The Beyond Burger is GMO-free according to the company and tested far lower for glyphosate residues.
Just 0.1 ppb of glyphosate has been shown to alter the gene function of over 4,000 genes in the livers, kidneys and causes severe organ damage in rats.
Adding to the confusion, the GMO, glyphosate-laced Impossible Burger was recently prominently featured at the Natural Products Expo West. In other words, most people still have no idea what they’re buying.
Prior to its widespread adoption on store shelves, the Impossible Burger company relied on scientists with ties to the Gates Foundation, Monsanto, and other biotechnology giants before the FDA rendered its decision on its main GMO ingredient’s alleged safety.
Even the FDA was not able to establish the safety of the Impossible Burger’s main GMO ingredient.
The FDA said arguments submitted by the company “do not establish safety of SLH (soy leghemoglobin) for consumption, according to Moms Across America.
The company decided ignore the FDA and sell the Impossible Burger to the public anyway.
Dr. Michael Hansen of Consumers Union, a division of Consumers Reports, is deeply concerned about the health ramifications for the millions of people who are consuming it.
“Modified soy leghemoglobin has never been part of the human diet before.
“Yet, Impossible Foods introduced this genetically-engineered protein into the marketplace with no real data and despite the FDA having serious concerns about its safety.
“It is outrageous,” he said.