The FARM BuzzThe culinary landscape of vegan options is undergoing a delicious transformation as Impossible Foods prepares to launch its new, plant-based hot dog in 2024. For decades, vegans have faced the challenge of finding satisfying alternatives to this classic dish. The promise of a plant-based hot dog that doesn’t compromise on taste or texture is a significant stride forward from a company known for pushing the boundaries of plant-based meat substitutes. That’s why we are so excited that Impossible Foods has introduced a plant-based ‘beef’ hot dog in 2024.
Finding the Impossible Hot Dog for Sale
As of early 2024, the Impossible Hotdogs have only been available for limited times at specific locations. Impossible Foods launched their “12 Days of Impossible Hot Dog” campaign in December of 2023, showing recipes, photos, new merchandise featuring ‘Hot Dogs Made From Plants’, a hot-dog themed holiday rom-com, adorable rescue dogs dressed up like hot dogs, and opportunities to taste the new product in different dishes in select locations. In mid-December of 2023, the Impossible Beef Hot Dog made from plants made an exclusive debut at the iconic Rockefeller Center New York City Hot Dog cart. Later that month, Impossible Foods partnered with Slutty Vegan in Atlanta to serve Impossible Corn Dogs in New York City and Dallas, Texas. Although businesses can request a tasting of the Impossible , the new, meat-free hot dog will be available in restaurants and grocery stores sometime in 2024, though they have not yet announced a specific date. They have zero cholesterol, 12 grams of protein, and contain 50% less total fat and saturated fat than animal products. Plant-based hot dogs are the 7th new product from Impossible Foods in the last year.
Replacing Meat-Based Hot Dogs with Plants
In 2022, Americans spent 8.3 billion on sausages and hot dogs in grocery stores alone. Impossible hopes to generate interest in this new product from regular hot dog consumers. “If there’s anything Impossible aims to do, it’s entice the palates of meat eaters and omnivores, not necessarily lifelong vegans.” Vegans everywhere will surely want to taste-test the new plant-based hot dog, but we hope to reach non-vegans as well.
Plant Based Alternatives for Health
This product comes with the potential reward of better health. Research indicates the health benefits of plant-based alternatives over animal-based products. Studies show that consuming ultra-processed foods increases the risk of multiple long-term conditions such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Researchers did not find plant-based alternatives to possess the same health risks. Studies highlight the health benefits of a plant-based diet over a meat-based diet, including decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. There are much healthier alternatives than processed animal meat. All processed red meats, including hot dogs, are designated as class 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organization.
Twin Study Unveils Cardiovascular Improvements with Vegan Diet
In an insightful study on a plant-based diet by Stanford Medicine involving 22 pairs of identical twins, researchers observed the effects of diet on cardiovascular health. This study stands out for its methodological precision: since identical twins share the same genetics and usually have similar upbringings and lifestyles, the researchers were able to isolate the impact of diet more effectively.
In each pair, one twin maintained a meat-based diet, while the other adopted a plant-based diet. Remarkably, those on the plant-based diet exhibited significant cardiovascular improvements within just eight weeks, including lower cholesterol levels and reduced body weight. Christopher Gardner, PhD, the study’s senior author, highlighted these findings as evidence that a vegan diet can substantially enhance long-term health, with the most notable changes occurring within the first month.
IKEA Upgrading Its Plant Based Hot Dog in 2024
Impossible is only one of the companies planning to debut plant-based hot dogs in the coming year. IKEA is going to upgrade its plant-based hot dogs in 2024, as well. They claim it will taste more like the real thing. Expect to see them in stores next year as well.
Hopefully, these new meat-free products from Impossible and IKEA will be superior to regular meat-based hot dogs. We cannot wait to try them. These new products are an essential event for Impossible Meat as well as other producers of plant-based food products. The demand for plant-based meat substitutes has decreased recently, and some companies are struggling. Cruelty-free cell-cultured meat products now have the green light from the USDA. Whether or not cell-cultured products will overtake plant-based products remains to be seen.
The FARM Buzz
