Would You Eat A Veggie Burger That Bleeds?

Your garden variety veggie burger that does not bleed like meat. (ChrisGoldNY)

If your first reaction to the above headline is “Oh my god oh oh my god why is a burger made from vegetables bleeding,” you’re not alone. Rest easy, my meat eschewing friends, these vegetarian burgers are only juicing “blood” made from plants.

Scientists at a company called Impossible Foods say they’ve managed to mimic the particular mouthfeel of meat by using bioengineered plant “blood,” reports the Wall Street Journal. It reportedly even tastes slightly metallic like real blood.

The three-year-old company has so far created a hamburger that’s supposed to look, feel, taste and cook just like the real thing, or something close to it. Scientists in the company’s labs sniff cooking meat smells and make notes, testing the real thing in different ways to gain insight into how to replicate it.

The head of the company doesn’t just want to provide another alternative for vegetarians, however, he’s after you carnivores.

“We want the hard-core beef lovers, the guy who’s basically saying, ‘You know, I’m literally on the opposite pole from a vegetarian, in no conceivable universe would I accept any substitute for meat,’” he told the WSJ.

The question is for all of us, however:

The Secret of These New Veggie Burgers: Plant Blood [Wall Street Journal]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist