“Trust the Process”

Chances are you’ve heard of the term “processed food.” Images may come to mind of gas station potato chips, packaged snack cakes, late-night frozen pizza in a dorm room, or sugar high-inducing breakfast cereal. Given this mindframe, many might assume “processed food” is synonymous with “junk food,” (ref., ref.), but it’s actually much more broad –– and not as scary! –– than you might think.

Any food product that undergoes changes from its raw, natural state by heating, cutting, seasoning, etc. is considered “processed.” In today’s global food system, nearly all foods sold in a supermarket are processed to some degree. Strawberries are washed and trimmed, rice is milled, and yogurt and cheese are fermented. The degree to which a food has been processed varies widely, and concerns about levels of food processing are understandable given how prevalent these foods are in our lives – 50-60% of a typical western diet is now composed of processed foods (ref).

However, it’s important to remember that by definition, processing does not make a food or an ingredient less healthy. In fact, processing can enhance food safety or improve a food’s nutritional profile. For example, bread is commonly fortified with B vitamins to address nutritional deficiencies, and milk is pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. At Impossible Foods, food processing is fundamental to creating nutrient-dense meat from plants. So while “processed” may be a buzz word that some people think is synonymous with “unhealthy,” it’s important to recognize that the truth is much more nuanced.

Food Processing and Health - the NOVA system

An emerging field of nutrition research relates to quantifying health impacts of consuming processed foods, with special attention paid to a category known as ultra processed food (UPF) – foods that experience the most amount of changes from their raw and natural state. This research area has been driven by the NOVA classification system, which was introduced in 2009 to classify foods by their degree of processing. NOVA breaks down foods into four primary categories: 1) unprocessed or minimally processed foods (e.g. fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains); 2) processed culinary ingredients (e.g. oils from plants, seeds, whole grain pastas); 3) processed foods (e.g. canned vegetables, freshly made bread, canned fish); and 4) ultra-processed foods (e.g. potato chips, cookies, candies) (ref.).

While the NOVA system is intended to offer clarity by categorizing foods and their health effects based on their level of processing, the nutritional reality is not as black and white. Let’s look at UPFs, specifically. A good majority of UPFs are convenience-driven foods formulated to prioritize shelf stability, palatability, low-cost and craveability, and are generally considered “nutrient-poor” due to their excessive calories, fat, sugar, and/or salt content, with limited fiber and protein (ref). Some examples include ice cream, candies, and soft drinks. Epidemiological research has identified links between some UPFs and an increase in obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes (ref.), but exactly how UPFs are linked to poor health outcomes remains insufficiently examined.

Take plant-based meat and dairy products, for example. These foods can actually be quite nutrient-rich and in fact, a recent study sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that higher consumption of plant-based meat alternatives and plant-based dairy is not associated with increased risk for developing multiple chronic health conditions. By contrast, the same research found that higher consumption of processed animal meat products is associated with these health risks (ref). It goes to show that you can’t easily categorize all processed and ultra-processed foods as “unhealthy.”

A Unique Kind of Processed Food

At Impossible Foods, we utilize high quality plant-derived ingredients to make meat that looks, cooks, tastes, and satisfies like meat from animals. However, plants don’t behave like meat in their raw and natural states. That’s why we use food processing methods to achieve a food product that is so similar to the animal. This includes striving to provide all of the beneficial nutrients of animal meat, like protein and iron, while minimizing the nutrients that dietary guidance suggests we limit, like cholesterol and saturated fat. Here’s how we stack up:

• Impossible products offer high-quality protein and iron that’s comparable to the animal, as well as fiber, calcium, potassium, and other essential nutrients.

• Our products also outperform the animal with 0mg cholesterol and 0g trans fat, and a majority of our plant-based meats contain at least 25% less total fat and saturated fat compared to meat from animals.*

• And, because our meat is made from plants, it contains none of the animal hormones or antibiotics associated with animal meat.**

• Clearly, you can’t unilaterally write off processed foods as “bad for you.” Researchers are beginning to recognize this nuance as well, and are increasingly publishing research that demonstrates the best way to evaluate the healthfulness of a food is based on many characteristics such as its nutritional composition, not solely on the processing methods used (ref., ref.).

More research is underway that explicitly examines how processing can impact health both positively and negatively (ref.). We take our leadership in the food industry seriously and feel a responsibility to support continued research that identifies and understands the causal relationships between health outcomes and processed ingredients. We’ll also continue to adapt our own practices in response to compelling findings and strive to produce healthier, more delicious food products. This is only the first phase of plant-based meat and if we’ve been able to achieve this much progress in less than a decade on-shelf, we have great optimism for a tastier, healthier, future of food that’s better for the planet.

*See impossiblefoods.com/nutrition-disclaimers for more info

**Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry.