Plant-based Impossible Pork to launch across more than 120 restaurant outlets across S'pore
Eunice Quek
PUBLISHED 9 HOURS AGO
SINGAPORE - First it was beef, now it is pork.
Californian company Impossible Foods will debut its plant-based Impossible Pork on Thursday (Nov 18) across more than 120 restaurant outlets in Singapore.
The minced meat product is made from the same key ingredient as its beef alternative - soya protein, along with sunflower oil and coconut oil.
It also contains "heme", a molecule found in humans, animals and plants that gives the product its meaty look and flavour.
Unlike Impossible Beef, it does not contain potato protein.
Compared with real pork, Impossible Pork is said to have more protein as well as less fat, calories and cholesterol.
While there are burger and pasta options made with the minced pork alternative, the versatile product also features heavily in Asian cuisine.
Think claypot Mee Tai Bak with Impossible Pork ($18) at home-grown zi char chain New Ubin Seafood, Impossible kueh pie tee ($10.80) at Straits Chinese Nonya Restaurant, and Impossible ngoh hiang (from $35) at Cai Eats.
Bak kwa chain Fragrance, as well as burger restaurant Three Buns, have also created their versions of bak kwa made with Impossible Pork.
At Chinese restaurant Tasty Loong by Chef Pung at the Link Hotel in Tiong Bahru, its chef-owner Pung Lu Tin, 60, features the meat alternative in six dishes.
Previously, he had tried the plant-based pork alternative by Malaysian start-up Phuture Foods.
He says: "Impossible Pork feels the closest to real pork for me - both in flavour and texture. I don't have to add too much seasoning either, maybe just a bit of sauce.
"We never needed to use Impossible Beef since we're a Chinese restaurant. That's more suitable for the Western ones to make burgers. But as interest in these plant-based products grew and I saw many chefs using it, I decided to try it as well."
Impossible Foods - which started in 2011 - launched its Impossible Beef here in 2019.
Impossible Beef is now available across 700 restaurants and retails across supermarkets and convenience stores. PHOTO: REUTERS
It partnered some restaurants at Marina Bay Sands and also did a pop-up for consumers to try the product at Lau Pa Sat.
The plant-based beef is now available across 700 restaurants and retails across supermarkets and convenience stores.
Impossible Pork - which launched last year (2020) at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas - marked its debut in the United States and Hong Kong last month.
Its entrance into Singapore comes amid a slew of meat alternatives available in the growing plant-based scene here.
Other pork alternatives include Hong Kong food tech company OmniFoods' OmniMeat and OmniMeat Luncheon, local start-up Karana's pulled pork made from jackfruit, and Los Angeles-based Beyond Meat's sausages.
Aside from trying Impossible Pork at the eateries, diners can also order dishes featuring it via food delivery platform Deliveroo.
On Thursday (Nov 18), it is offering a one-day-only 50 per cent discount off all Impossible Pork dishes from selected restaurants on the platform.
Mr Laurent Stevenart - Impossible Foods' general manager, Singapore & United Arab Emirates - notes that Asia is a "top priority" for the brand's expansion.
He does not rule out setting up a production facility in Singapore. Impossible Pork will also expand into supermarkets in the future.
The company's mission, adds the 35-year-old, is to replace animal meats with an Impossible plant-based alternative worldwide by 2035.
He says: "Compared with pre-pandemic times, people are starting to understand how fragile the animal meat industry is worldwide. We've seen animal protein shortages across different animals, and prices increase drastically for animal meat.
"It is the exact opposite of plant-based meat - demand is growing, availability is improving and prices are decreasing. The pandemic has been an opportunity for us to show the upside of plant-based meat."
