Impossible debuts ‘pork’ as NPPC questions label

Impossible Foods has debuted pork-like products at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, leading the National Pork Producers Council to charge that calling the plant-based product “pork” is “a brazen violation of labelling law.”

“The primary ingredients in the Impossible pork products are mostly the same as what’s in the Impossible Burgers — water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil and natural flavors,” The Washington Post reported. “The differences between the ground Impossible Burger and Impossible Pork and Sausage product are all in the details, like how the sausage has a bit of springiness to it, and the pork is fatty.”

Dan Kovich, director of science and technology for the NPPC, said in a news release, “What’s impossible is to make pork from plants. This is a brazen attempt to circumvent decades of food labelling law and centuries of precedence. Any adjective placed in front of the word pork can only refine it, not redefine it. It’s not pork. It’s not pork sausage. It can’t be labelled as such.”

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