Impossible Foods Stock Alternatives to Invest In

8 min read
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Impossible Foods Stock

What is Impossible Foods’ stock price, and are they publicly traded? Unfortunately, investors cannot purchase shares of Impossible Foods because it is a private company. However, Oatly (NASDAQ: OTLY) and Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) are food stock symbols that traders can invest in.

Is there anything better than the taste and smell of a burger? How many of us love to use our BBQs in the summer with our families, neighbors, or friends? For decades, burgers were made entirely out of animal products. However, in the last decades, many companies have developed eco-friendly alternatives that (subjectively) taste as good as meat burgers and aren’t fast food.

One such company is Impossible Foods. Here is everything you need to know about Impossible Foods and a few of its public competitors in the plant-based industry in the US stock market.

Will Impossible Foods stock go public or remain a private company? As of 2025, the company remains private, but there has been speculation about a potential IPO.

The company’s message and goal align with many consumers, but its products aren’t enough to conquer their stomachs. 

In April 2024, the CEO mentioned targeting a liquidity event within two to three years, which could include an IPO. However, the CEO also considered selling the company or raising more funds.

There are still a lot of questions left in this industry. The board is also looking at its public competitors on the US stock market. They want to see how these stocks perform and if the products these companies offer gain more traction.

Impossible Foods Stock

Impossible Foods Company Overview

Impossible Foods was founded by Dr. Patrick Brown in 2011. He was a biochemist who worked at Stanford University before starting this business.

Unlike many food startups that begin with chefs or culinary experts, Brown assembled a team of scientists to approach the challenge of creating plant-based meat at a molecular level.

The team spent around six years studying meat to understand what makes it appealing to humans. They discovered that a heme molecule gave the meat its distinctive taste and aroma. This breakthrough led to the development of their flagship product, the Impossible Burger.

As it began to gain attention and grow, Impossible Foods had two missions:

Create a plant-based burger that tastes better than a beef burger
Address the environmental impact of the meat and dairy industries

What does that mean for Impossible Foods stock?

Impossible Burger

In 2016, Impossible Foods launched its first product, the Impossible Burger. The following ingredients are:

  • Water
  • Soy protein – main protein source
  • Coconut oil – fat and burger juiciness
  • Sunflower oil – fat and texture
  • Potato protein
  • Methylcellulose – a plant-based binder that helps maintain the burger’s structure
  • Yeast Extract – adds umami flavor.
  • Soy Leghemoglobin (Heme) – This is a key ingredient that mimics the flavor and color of meat, giving the burger its bleeding effect. Genetically engineered yeast fermentation produces this.
  • Vitamins and minerals – added nutrients like Vitamin B12, zinc gluconate, thiamine (B1), niacin, pyridoxine (B6), and riboflavin (B2) 

Compared to traditional beef burgers, it has less total fat and no cholesterol, but is higher in sodium and saturated fats. Additionally, the Impossible Burger is more environmentally friendly than conventional beef.

It reportedly uses less land and water and generates less greenhouse gas emissions than regular meat production. That could be good for Impossible Foods’ stock if it were public.

Growth and Expansion

Impossible Burger was only available in a few restaurants in New York and California due to limited production capacity in 2016. In 2017, things changed when the company secured a distribution agreement with Dots Foods and gained access to all 50 US states.

Asia

In 2018, they expanded into the Asian market, focusing on Hong Kong. Impossible Foods partnered with popular restaurants and chefs in Hong Kong to gain credibility and visibility.

After Hong Kong, Impossible Foods expanded to other Asian markets, including Macau and Singapore, in 2019.

Further expansion

In 2019, Impossible Foods launched its burgers in grocery stores and over 17,000 restaurants in the US. The following year, they signed distribution agreements with major US grocery chains and partnered with Burger King to sell Impossible Sausage in over 7500 locations.

In 2021, the company added four new international markets: Canada, UAE, Australia, and New Zealand. By 2022, its products were available in over 25,000 grocery stores and 40,000 restaurants globally.

Today, Impossible Foods has expanded its products to Impossible Sausage, Pork, Chicken Nuggets, Meatballs, and Signature Burgers. It also added Kuwait, the UK, Bahrain, and Oman.

Impossible Foods Revenue and Financial Overview

Year Estimated Revenue ($million)
2025 (est.) $750
2024 $650
2023 $550
2022 $420
2021 $330

Public Plant-Based Food Companies to Consider

SymbolName
BYNDBeyond Meat
OTLYOatly
VGFCQThe Very Good Food Company Inc.
TTCFQTattooed Chef Inc

You can’t trade Impossible Foods stock. So, this section will examine a few plant-based companies currently trading on the US stock market. Spoiler alert: Two are running out of cash at an alarming rate.

One was delisted from the NASDAQ stock exchange; the fourth is bankrupt and no longer in business. We can see the various stages of this business, from hope to despair. Unfortunately, they might not be in business much longer. 

Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND)

Beyond Meat is the leader in this industry. It was founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The Beyond Burger gained significant traction in the market leading up to its IPO in May 2019.

Beyond Meat’s stock increased by nearly 645% in the months following the IPO. This performance gave the company a market cap of $11.2B. Unfortunately, it did not last. In 2023, Beyond Meat reported a decrease in net revenues of 18.0% YoY. The company also faced significant losses (gross profit loss of $82.7M) and a net loss of $155.1 in Q4 2023.

Today, the stock is down 90% from its IPO price with a market cap under $400M due to slowing demand, increasing expenses, and intense competition. Therefore, this is the best Impossible Foods stock alternative.

Oatly (NASDAQ: OTLY)

Oatly is a Swedish company that specializes in producing oat-based dairy alternatives. 

The company went public on May 20, 2021, on the NASDAQ stock exchange—the highly anticipated IPO grew due to the growing interest in plant-based food companies. However, the stock’s performance since its debut has been challenging. Despite top-line growth, Oatly isn’t profitable (-41% profit margin).

In 2023, the company reorganized to improve operations and remain competitive in this increasingly crowded space. Unfortunately, despite all these changes, its investors can’t be very satisfied with its stock performance (-35% YTD and -96% since its IPO). 

The Very Good Food Company (NASDAQ: VGFC)

Oatly and Beyond Meat are still in business, but can’t keep bleeding cash eternally. Some of their competitors learned that the hard way. 

We begin with The Very Good Food Company, a Canadian plant-based meat alternative producer that ceased operations in 2023 due to profitability and cash flow issues. Initially, the company experienced significant growth and investor interest.

On its first trading day in 2020, its stock price increased 800%. Unfortunately, its hype didn’t live up to expectations.

Tattooed Chef Inc (OTC: TTCFQ)

The same thing is happening to Tattooed Chef. It hasn’t ceased operations yet, but is experiencing financial and accounting issues. It has been delisted from the NASDAQ, and as a result, its stock is currently trading at $0.00010 per share.

Like other plant-based food companies, Tattooed Chef has faced increased competition and changing consumer demand in the plant-based food sector. These are Impossible Foods stock alternatives, but not good ones.

Impossible Burger

Final Thoughts on Impossible Foods Stock

To conclude, the plant-based revolution might be a reality around us, but it was a fad on the stock market. The companies in this article offer premium products but don’t align with our current spending behaviors.

Furthermore, this space is overcrowded, and the bigger players such as Kroger, Walgreens, Albertsons, Whole Foods, and others might benefit in the long run.

If Impossible Foods stock is considering an IPO, its management should take a long look at its competitors and their poor performance in the public markets. The best move would be to remain private and sell the business to a bigger player. Even though there’s no Impossible Foods stock, there are several food companies that traders can invest in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Impossible Foods remains a private company. Its management is considering an IPO, but is also considering selling the company.
At this stage, neither Impossible Foods nor its plant-based competitors are profitable.
Beyond Meat, one of Impossible Foods’ biggest competitors, was overhyped on the stock market. Consumers’ interest in its products declined. This industry has too many competitors, and many prefer to buy independent brands. 

Our editors independently research our articles and review the best products and services. We may receive commissions on purchases made from links in articles. All information provided is for educational purposes and is not investment advice or buy/sell recommendations. Read our full disclaimer.

Related Articles

Scale AI Stock

Can You Buy Scale AI Stock?

If you’ve been searching for Scale AI stock, you’re not alone. With artificial intelligence rapidly expanding, investors are looking for the next major opportunity. Scale

Read More »
Bullish Bears
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.