Skip to main content

Food 2.0: Impossible Foods is back with a bloody new non-beef burger

Impossible Foods

In a world of startups making shrimp out of red algae and 3D-printed beefsteaks, Impossible Food — makers of the bleeding veggie burger — stands as the best-known company in this brave new world of next-gen eatables. At CES 2019, the company announced its Impossible Burger version 2.0, the first time its recipe has received an upgrade since the award-winning plant-based meat debuted in 2016.

The CES 2019-era Impossible Burger contains no gluten, zero cholesterol, and reportedly the same level of bioavailable iron and high-quality protein as you’d find in conventional beef from cows. It has just 14 grams of total fat and 240 calories in a quarter-pound patty, compared with 23 grams of total fat and 290 calories in a quarter-pound patty made from cow.

“The newest Impossible Burger delivers everything that matters to hardcore meat lovers, including taste, nutrition, and versatility,” said Patrick Brown, Impossible Foods’ CEO and founder, in a statement. “This is the plant-based meat that will eliminate the need for animals in the food chain and make the global food system sustainable.”

Recommended Videos

While the new Impossible Burger is being debuted at CES, it won’t be long before people all over the U.S. get the chance to try it. That’s because, starting January 8, influential chefs from around the U.S. will begin serving the new recipe in their restaurants.

“Impossible Foods’ new recipe represents a quantum leap forward for food tech. This new recipe is a game changer.”

These eateries include (deep breath) Mission Chinese Food, and Saxon + Parole in New York City; Chef Tae Strain’s Momofuku CCDC in Washington DC; Jardinière, Cockscomb, and School Night in San Francisco; Border Grill in California and Nevada; Jackrabbit and Irving Street Kitchen in Portland, Oregon; Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles; B Spot burger restaurants in Ohio; Linger in Denver; Maillard Tavern in Chicago; Little Donkey in Boston, Copper Vine in New Orleans; Spice Finch in Philadelphia; and Sunset Pointe in Fairhope, Alabama. Starting February 4, the new recipe will then be available to all restaurants in the U.S. through major food distributors.

In other words, wherever you’re living, you shouldn’t have to travel too far to check out the possibilities of the Impossible Burger for yourself.

“Using animals to make protein is an ancient technology — and while it worked in the 19th century, it doesn’t sustainably scale for the 21st century and beyond,” said Milliken, the 2018 winner of the Julia Child Award for lifetime achievement. “We need more innovation in the food sector so meat lovers can keep eating their favorite foods — without destroying biodiversity. I’ve been watching Impossible Foods for years and am thrilled to see the quantum leap forward of this next-generation recipe.”

Luke Dormehl
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Volkswagen plans 8 new affordable EVs by 2027, report says
volkswagen affordable evs 2027 id 2all

Back in the early 1970s, when soaring oil prices stifled consumer demand for gas-powered vehicles, Volkswagen took a bet on a battery system that would power its first-ever electric concept vehicle, the Elektro Bus.
Now that the German automaker is facing a huge slump in sales in Europe and China, it’s again turning to affordable electric vehicles to save the day.Volkswagen brand chief Thomas Schaefer told German media that the company plans to bring eight new affordable EVs to market by 2027."We have to produce our vehicles profitably and put them on the road at affordable prices," he is quoted as saying.
One of the models will be the ID.2all hatchback, the development of which is currently being expedited to 36 months from its previous 50-month schedule. Last year, VW unveiled the ID.2all concept, promising to give it a price tag of under 25,000 euros ($27,000) for its planned release in 2025.VW CEO Larry Blume has also hinted at a sub-$22,000 EV to be released after 2025.It’s unclear which models would reach U.S. shores. Last year, VW America said it planned to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.The price of batteries is one of the main hurdles to reduced EV’s production costs and lower sale prices. VW is developing its own unified battery cell in several European plants, as well as one plant in Ontario, Canada.But in order for would-be U.S. buyers to obtain the Inflation Reduction Act's $7,500 tax credit on the purchase of an EV, the vehicle and its components, including the battery, must be produced at least in part domestically.VW already has a plant in Chattanooga, Tennesse, and is planning a new plant in South Carolina. But it’s unclear whether its new unified battery cells would be built or assembled there.

Read more
Nissan launches charging network, gives Ariya access to Tesla SuperChargers
nissan charging ariya superchargers at station

Nissan just launched a charging network that gives owners of its EVs access to 90,000 charging stations on the Electrify America, Shell Recharge, ChargePoint and EVgo networks, all via the MyNissan app.It doesn’t stop there: Later this year, Nissan Ariya vehicles will be getting a North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter, also known as the Tesla plug. And in 2025, Nissan will be offering electric vehicles (EVs) with a NACS port, giving access to Tesla’s SuperCharger network in the U.S. and Canada.Starting in November, Nissan EV drivers can use their MyNissan app to find charging stations, see charger availability in real time, and pay for charging with a payment method set up in the app.The Nissan Leaf, however, won’t have access to the functionality since the EV’s charging connector is not compatible. Leaf owners can still find charging stations through the NissanConnectEV and Services app.Meanwhile, the Nissan Ariya, and most EVs sold in the U.S., have a Combined Charging System Combo 1 (CCS1) port, which allows access to the Tesla SuperCharger network via an adapter.Nissan is joining the ever-growing list of automakers to adopt NACS. With adapters, EVs made by General Motors, Ford, Rivian, Honda and Volvo can already access the SuperCharger network. Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, and Jaguar have also signed agreements to allow access in 2025.
Nissan has not revealed whether the adapter for the Ariya will be free or come at a cost. Some companies, such as Ford, Rivian and Kia, have provided adapters for free.
With its new Nissan Energy Charge Network and access to NACS, Nissan is pretty much covering all the bases for its EV drivers in need of charging up. ChargePoint has the largest EV charging network in the U.S., with over 38,500 stations and 70,000 charging ports at the end of July. Tesla's charging network is the second largest, though not all of its charging stations are part of the SuperCharger network.

Read more
Juiced Bikes sold at auction for $1.2 million, report says
The Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 adds more power, upgraded tires, and an improved battery to the popular moped style e-bike.

Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes, has been sold on an auction website for $1,225,000, according to a report from Electrek.Digital Trends recently reported how the company was showing signs of being on the brink of bankruptcy. The company and its executives had remained silent, while customer inquiries went unanswered and its website showed all products were out of stock. In addition, there were numerous reports of layoffs at the company.Yet, the most convincing sign was that the company’s assets appeared as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.Now, it appears that Juiced Bikes’ assets, including a dozen patents, multiple URLs, and the company’s inventory in both the U.S. and China, have been sold at auction, according to the report. It is likely that the buyer, who remains unknown, can capitalize on the brand and the overall value of the 15-year old company. Founded in 2009 by Tora Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.
The company had quickly built a reputation for the versatility of its e-bikes and the durability of their batteries. Over the years, the popularity of models such as the CrossCurrent, HyperScrambler, and RipCurrent only bolstered the brand’s status.Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.Juiced Bikes’ getting sold quickly might be a sign of what consulting firm Houlihan Lokey says is a recovery in the North American e-bike market.
The industry has had a roller-coaster ride during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A huge spike in demand for e-bikes had combined with disrupted supply chains to create a supply/demand mismatch of “historic proportions," Houlihan Lokey said.

Read more