92 Percent of Impossible Burger Sales Directly Displace Animal Meat

The majority of sales of the plant-based Impossible Burger come at the expense of animal-derived meat, Chicago-based analytics company Numerator reports. Numerator analyzed consumer buying habits in the most recent 13-week period and found that 78 cents per dollar of Impossible Burger sales come from consumers who are shifting to the brand from either other plant-based brands or from meat derived from animals. Within this group of consumers, 92 percent of Impossible Burger sales come at the direct expense of animal-derived meat—which Numerator points out is evidence that the plant-based burger is displacing animal-derived foods for 72 percent of total purchases. 

“Three out of four Americans now live within 10 miles of a grocery store where they can buy Impossible Burger. And when people cook it at home, they start telling friends and family about it,” Impossible Foods Senior Vice President for Sales Dan Greene said. “Our retail surge has become a powerful flywheel for long-term growth.” 

The Impossible Burger made its retail debut in 2019 and was available at fewer than 150 grocery stores prior to the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. In the last six months, Impossible Foods’ has expanded its retail footprint 77-fold. The plant-based burger is now available at 11,000 retail locations in all 50 states, including Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Target.