Skip to main content

Say hello to Impossible Pork, the next generation of fake meat

impossible pork bao dumpling
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Impossible Foods, the company behind the Impossible Burger and one of the leaders in the rapidly growing “fake meat” industry, announced its next product at CES 2020: Impossible Pork. A plant-based substitute for ground pork, promises the flavor and texture of pork with far less of an environmental impact. It’s also gluten-free and aimed at kosher/halal certifications.

According to Impossible Foods, Impossible Pork’s flavor will convey “depth and umami richness without being gamey or overpowering.” The company also claims the product should work for various recipes that calls for ground pork, whether you want to fry up some sausage patties for breakfast or caramelize some pork for a rice bowl.

Recommended Videos
Impossible Pork was selected by our editors as the best product in the Tech for Change category at CES 2020. Check out more of our Top Tech of CES Award winners.
Best of CES 2020 Tech for Change
CES 2020

Impossible Foods attended CES last year, too, showing off its second-generation Impossible Burger, a recipe that stunned us with how much it resembled real beef — all thanks to a molecule called “heme,” which gives meat its distinctive flavor but can also be found in plants. We were so impressed, we crowned it the Top Tech of CES. Since then, the Impossible Burger has become a bona fide cultural sensation, showing up in restaurants (including Burger King) and stores across America.

Impossible Pork bahn mi
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Impossible’s founder Patrick Brown says the company’s mission is to “eliminate the need for animals in the food chain and make the global food system sustainable,” and giving meat eaters an environmentally-friendly alternative is crucial. Raising animals for meat consumes huge amounts of water and land, and factory farming is an enormous source of pollution.

Pork is already a massive industry, and still expanding. Aside from its environmental impact, it poses distinct threats to public health. Commercial pigs use a lot of antibiotics — one report from the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates 27 percent of “medically-important” antibiotics go to pigs — and that’s a problem, because excessive antibiotic use contributes to antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is already a public health hazard, with the Center for Disease Control estimating 35,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, and although researchers are working on tools to combat resistance, the threat is growing.

Impossible Foods hasn’t revealed any details about when it’s pork substitute will reach the mass market, though, a preseasoned form, dubbed “Impossible Sausage,” is set to debut in the Impossible Croissan’wich at six Burger King locations come late January. Given the swelling demand for fake meat around the world, however, it will probably be a hit no matter what form it takes.

Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.

Will Nicol
Will Nicol is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends. He covers a variety of subjects, particularly emerging technologies, movies…
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

Read more