When I first saw Burger King’s advertisement for the Impossible Burger, my stomach did a triple somersault. This is because I have been following the development and deployment of this Franken-food with disgust for the last couple of years and the last place I expected it to ooze to the surface was at one of the world’s leading processed fast food chains. Burger King has gone above and beyond to make this genetically modified bacteria burger sound like a super-yummy healthy alternative to meat, but when you learn the truth, your stomach will lurch, too.
The funny thing about this is that I was just thinking about writing an article on this particular bit of nastiness from the GMO Franken-food industry when Acres USA published the following article by Andre Leu on their online magazine, Eco Farming Daily (which I also write for). In the article, PLANT SENTIENCE AND THE IMPOSSIBLE BURGER, Leu says, “The Impossible Burger is the ultimate product of industrial agriculture. This highly processed concoction uses pesticide-contaminated GMO soy, GMO corn and wheat produced from industrial monocultures. They are processed in a factory with chemical additives to give artificial flavor, texture and shelf life. One of the additives is a blood-like substance that is produced by genetically modified bacteria in large vats that are fed with carbohydrates produced from pesticide-dependent industrial agriculture. The additives used in this burger have no adequate testing to show that they are safe for human consumption, especially for children.”
Now you know why my stomach did an initial somersault, but the Impossible burger has many other negative implications for the world. The first of which Leu addresses in his opening salvo on the sentience of plants, a fact that I have known and taught for the better part of my adult life. Plants are just as alive and present as any other living thing on earth. The second is the way that corporate agriculture destroys the climate by releasing tons of carbon from the soil in their massive monocropping schemes, making this plant-based vegan-inspired Impossible [bacteria] Burger a huge part of the climate crisis.
That being said, if you are as disgusted by the genetic manipulation of our food supply and glyphosate-drenched food crops, then you will want to read the entire article at Eco Farming Daily right now! And thank you, Andre Leu and ACRES USA for supporting real solutions to excess carbon in the atmosphere and the regenerative, life-sustaining practice of ecological agriculture!
Opinion: Plant sentience and the Impossible Burger (André Leu)
New Human New Earth Communities 