NSF and Impossible Foods Announce Impossible® Beef and Impossible® Burger as First Plant-Based Meats to be NSF Certified for Sport®

Today, NSF and Impossible Foods announced that Impossible Beef and Impossible Burger are designated as NSF Certified for Sport^® – a first for any plant-based meat or fresh food product in the certification program’s history.

Achieving NSF Certified for Sport^® designation validates that Impossible’s plant-based beef and burger products are great additions to athletic lifestyles, delivering both craveable flavor and impressive nutrition. They’re packed with 19 grams of high-quality, complete protein (38% DV) – comparable to the protein in animal meat, but with 0 milligrams cholesterol, 33% less saturated fat and 40% less total fat.¹ Plus, they’re sources of energy-producing carbohydrates, B vitamins, and electrolytes like potassium.

“NSF Certified for Sport is the gold standard in sports. It’s a huge deal to have Impossible certified as the first plant-based meat available to athletes,” said Peter McGuinness, President and Chief Executive Officer at Impossible Foods. “Americans are more aware than ever about the food they put in their bodies. It’s our responsibility to deliver on delicious, nutrient-dense, high-quality food, like our plant-based beef. This certification is proof that we’re holding ourselves accountable, and that athletes, dietitians and all consumers can feel good about our products.”

A first for plant-based meat in sports

NSF is a global public health and safety organization that tests and certifies products to help protect athletes and consumers from potentially harmful ingredients and athletic banned substances in consumer packaged goods. Its rigorous Certified for Sport^® program requires testing for 290+ athletic banned substances as well as potentially harmful levels of specific contaminants like lead and arsenic, and confirms that all product labels accurately represent the contents of the product.

“NSF welcomes Impossible Foods to the Certified for Sport program as the first and only fresh food to reach our highest level of certification for athletes and active consumers,” said David Trosin, Senior Director, Nutrition and Wellness at NSF. “NSF is committed to protecting and improving human health worldwide. By meeting our rigorous requirements for Certified for Sport, Impossible Foods is demonstrating its commitment to clean sport as well as quality, safety and good manufacturing processes for its plant-based beef products.”

With certification, Impossible’s plant-based beef and burger products offered in foodservice establishments will be included in NSF’s online listing of certified products and on the NSF for Sport app.

Meeting the gold standard in sports nutrition

NSF Certified for Sport^® is the leading certification program trusted by professional athletes, trainers and dietitians, helping them make more informed decisions about the products they recommend and consume. MLB, NHL and CFL clubs provide and recommend products that are Certified for Sport^® and players are urged to use only these certified products. The Certified for Sport^® certification is also recommended by the NFL, PGA, LPGA, CCES, CPSDA and Taylor Hooton Foundation as well as many other sports organizations.

“Athletes need protein, and we’ve been wanting more access to plant-based proteins like Impossible,” said Becci Roehl, veteran sports dietitian and Founding Board Member to the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association. “Having their plant-based beef NSF Certified for Sport will be great for nutrition programs across professional sports, especially the MLB. It's packed with protein, it tastes like meat, and it helps our players diversify their intake. It’ll be a real value for teams."

From Certification to the Expo Floor

This weekend on October 11-14, Impossible will head to Nashville, Tennessee to showcase its NSF Certified for Sport^® products at the annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo^® (FNCE) – the world’s largest meeting of food and nutrition experts. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample delicious Impossible dishes made with products across Impossible’s nutrient-dense portfolio of plant-based meat, including heart-healthy² Impossible^® Lite Beef, which holds health designations from both the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check Program and the American Diabetes Association^®'s Better Choices for Life Program.

About Impossible Foods:

Impossible Foods is on a mission to positively impact people and the planet by making delicious, nutritious meat from plants with a fraction of the environmental footprint of meat from animals. The privately-held food company was founded in 2011 and took a uniquely scientific approach that aims to make the world's best plant-based meat with the power to transform the food system. We make chicken, beef, and pork products from plants for every meal – breakfast, lunch and dinner – with a goal of replicating the flavors, textures, and cooking experience that meat eaters crave. Every nugget, burger, and patty we sell uses less land, water, and produces less greenhouse gas emissions compared to the animal.

Impossible Foods products are designed in California with U.S. and global ingredients, and are available across 4 continents in countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit impossiblefoods.com and follow us on Instagram, X and LinkedIn for updates.

¹ USDA 80/20 ground beef contains 23 grams total fat and 9 grams saturated fat, while Impossible Beef contains 13 grams total fat and 6 grams saturated fat per 113-gram serving.

² Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and as low as possible in trans fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease.