Impossible Burger heads east after the "record" launch of Cali

After a record launch in California grocery stores, Impossible Burger is heading east.

California-based start-up Impossible Foods is preparing to launch its 12-ounce packs on Thursday in 100 Wegmans grocery stores in seven states. Select Fairway Market stores in Manhattan will also start selling the product tomorrow, which they insisted after a two-year discussion with Impossible Foods, according to Rachel Konrad, CCO of Impossible Foods.

The company's burgers have been in restaurants since 2016, but it was not until July that the US Food and Drug Administration gave the deal that allowed Impossible to sell its uncooked red "beef" in grocery stores.

The company debuted at 27 Gelson's Markets sites in Southern California, setting historic records, according to the company, which even announced that it was selling even better than ground beef from cows , based on the sales figure and the total number of books sold.

"This launch has sparked a historic consumer response, from both our loyal and new customers, delighted to play a role in the future of food," said Rob McDougall, CEO of Gelson & # 39; s Markets.

Konrad told FOX Business that the success of their products on the West Coast only reinforces the idea that this is not a cultural trend that should be erased. She described the demand for herbal foods as a total change in a market overtaken by meat.

To replicate the taste of beef, Impossible Foods has developed an ingredient that gives the vegetable cake a bloody look. The company analyzed the plants for molecules that could mimic a meat protein containing iron and making the blood red. She finally opted for a substance called soy leghemoglobin, found in the root of soybean plants.

Its first food store follows a partnership between Impossible Foods and a veteran food production company, to provide herbal burgers highly valued by consumers, due to several months of shortage. The company has partnered with OSI Group, McDonald's original supplier and one of the largest food producers in the world.

Since April, Impossible Foods has struggled to meet the demands of its customers, including major chains such as White Castle and Burger King, while the trend of meatless menus continues to capture the restaurant sector. fast.

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Impossible is not the only company struggling to meet the dizzying demand for herbal meat. According to Nielsen, sales of meat substitutes in the United States have increased on average by 8% per year over the last five years, while meat sales have been stable over the same period.

The Impossible Burger is on the menu in more than 17,000 restaurants in the 50 US states.

Associated Press contributed to this report.