Do we like them?

Do we like Impossible Foods?

Makes plant-based meat (Impossible Burger, nuggets, steak bites) using soy heme; based in Redwood City, California.

Our score: 6 out of 10. A mission-led product that is hard to dislike, but leadership is in flux and the market is tough. We'd back it, with caution.

Impossible Foods makes plant-based burgers and other meat swaps, and uses soy leghemoglobin (heme) to give them a meaty taste. In 2026 it moved into steak-style bites and signed a deal with Equii to develop grain-based products such as bread and pasta.

On 30 January 2026 the company said CEO Peter McGuinness would leave after nearly four years. It named no successor. Jason Gao, Meredith Madden and Robert Haas now run operations as a shared team.

There has been some drama. The Center for Food Safety sued the FDA over its approval of the soy heme, saying it was premature. We couldn't find how the case ended. In 2022 the company cut about 6% of its staff.

In 2024 Impossible settled a patent fight with rival Motif FoodWorks. Each side paid its own legal costs, and Motif then shut down. We give it a 6: a useful product, but the leadership and the market are shaky.