Impossible's New Venue for Its Faux Meat? School Lunchrooms

Impossible Foods, fresh off its first national ad campaign aimed at hard-core meat lovers, will be targeting younger consumers next with its launch onto school menus this fall. The brand announced today that it has received “child nutrition labels” from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, clearing a path for its faux meat products to be served to kindergarteners through high school seniors across the country. The designation also means it can be included in low- and no-cost breakfast and lunch programs subsidized by the federal government. The move is a precursor to an upcoming kid-centric product line, though the brand hasn’t released details about those items or an expected debut date. It also fits into the startup’s strategy of being available “everywhere people consume meat,” CEO and founder Pat Brown said in a statement, while lowering the barrier to access “for this change-making generation.” “Schools not only play a role in shaping children’s dietary patterns,” he said, “they play an important role in providing early education about climate change and its root causes.” In making its way onto campuses, Impossible joins several legacy plant-based food brands—Dr. Praeger’s and Kellogg’s Morningstar Farms, among them—already in that space. The Silicon Valley-based startup has kicked off several pilot programs this spring, working with school districts in Edmond and Union City, Okla.; Aberdeen, Wash; and in its own backyard in Palo Alto, Calif. Impossible adds schools as another channel of distribution on the heels of its explosive growth in 2020, when it went from 150 specialty retailers to some 20,000 mass-market groceries. The brand will supply its flagship plant-based burgers to schools, along with products that can be used to make tacos, Frito pies, spaghetti sauce, meatballs and other kid-friendly dishes. The news comes as school districts, mirroring the efforts of corporate America, are looking for ways to lessen their environmental footprint. They’ve focused on lunchrooms as one of those avenues. “We are interested in how the popularity of this low-carbon food can help effectively lower a whole district’s carbon footprint, while also getting kids more engaged in thinking about the food they eat and the connection to the planet,” Michael Morris, senior manager at Sodexo, one of the largest food service contractors to U.S. schools, said in a statement. Impossible’s recent introduction to middle schools in Washington has shown “a strong response and engagement from both students and teachers,” according to Aberdeen’s superintendent Alicia Henderson. Ahead of its premiere in schools, Impossible surveyed 1,200 students to see if they have made the connection between their diets and climate change. Spoiler alert: They haven’t. 97% said they eat meat every week and only half reported that “raising animals for meat and dairy” contributed “somewhat to a lot” to climate change. “So, education is everything,” said Jessica Appelgren, Impossible’s vp of communications. Kids provide an enormous and largely unexplored opportunity for environmental progress. They care about climate change, and they want to do something about it.Jessica Appelgren, Impossible When informed about the toll that animal agriculture takes on the environment, kids changed their opinions: 63% said they were likely to cut down their meat consumption, the Impossible study found, and 78% said it was important to reduce the use of cows as a food source. “Kids provide an enormous and largely unexplored opportunity for environmental progress,” Appelgren said. “They care about climate change, and they want to do something about it, and the data shows they have a significant influence over family meal decisions.” In the research, four out of five kids said they were “somewhat to extremely familiar” with global warming, with 62% noting that they learn about the issue from their teachers and classes. In general, they feel they can and should put a stop to climate change, with more than seven in 10 kids believing they have the power to make a difference and nearly 90% saying it’s important for them to take action. Along with its food, Impossible plans to supply schools with K-12 curriculum guides that cover climate change topics and earth-friendly eating. The brand has had kid-focused initiatives in place for several years, joining with young activists to speak out about sustainability, surveying millennial parents and hosting kid-targeted events.

Plant-Based Products

Impossible Now Has a New Venue for Its Faux Meat: School Lunchrooms

The brand is testing its products at schools this spring, will debut widely on menus in the fall

T.L. Stanley

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T.L. Stanley