Why Impossible Pork Is More Sustainable Than the Real Deal

First it was a juicy meatless burger. Then came realistic chicken nuggets. Now, Impossible Foods has officially released Impossible Pork, which doesn't just taste good. It also betters the planet.

Every type of meat comes with its own set of environmental impacts. Pigs produce a great deal of waste, which pollutes both the air and waterways. Pork production also requires a lot of resources and the industry is known for its high antibiotics usage.

By using plant-based ingredients like soy protein and coconut oil, Impossible Foods was able to create a product that uses up to 85% less water, 82% less land, and generates 77% less greenhouse gas emissions than pork from pigs.

Obviously that's a huge win for the planet—especially with how popular pork is worldwide. Even swapping one meat dish a week with a plant-based version can make a difference. But aside from how sustainable it is, Impossible Pork also tastes really good. So good that in a blind taste test of 200 consumers in Hong Kong, Impossible Pork was preffered 54% to 46% over ground pork.

"Earlier this month, we beat the animal with the launch of Impossible Chicken Nuggets," said Dennis Woodside, president of Impossible Foods, in a press release. "With Impossible Pork, we’re beating the animal again while satisfying even more types of cuisine—another important step towards making the global food system much more sustainable."

Impossible Pork is making its United States debut today at Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New York City. It's also available for all restaurants to order across the country, just like how the Impossible Burger got its start before expanding to grocery stores.

Because it can be used to make meatballs, dumplings, tacos, spring rolls, and more, it's bound to be on a wide variety of menus. And we can hardly wait to try it out.