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Plant-based ‘chicken nuggets’ blocked from entering Australia

Beef Central, 20/03/2023

Impossible Foods has been blocked from selling its plant-based “chicken nuggets” in Australia after they were found to contain a banned substance.

A random inspection by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry staff in January detected calcium pantothenate in the wheat and soy based imitation meat product, a substance which is not permitted under Australian food safety rules.

The Department has announced that all future shipments of the food will be held and inspected for the ingredient.

NSW Farmers Poultry Manager Dave Banham says reports of synthetic chicken nuggets failing to meet food standards are cause for concern.

As a father of two, Mr Banham said it was concerning to hear synthetic versions of popular childrens’ foods were not meeting food safety standards.

“You want to be sure that the food you’re giving your kids is safe to eat, and this sort of case shakes confidence in synthetic food products,” Mr Banham said.

“We understand synthetic or plant-based proteins are growing in popularity.

“But until we know those processed products are 100 per cent safe, my family will be sticking with natural foods like real chicken.”

The issue of ‘fake’ food labelling was the subject of a recent Senate inquiry, but while consumption of synthetic, lab-grown or plant-based alternatives to meat was slowly growing, Mr Banham said it was important to separate the fact from fiction.

“As farmers, we grow the plants that make up these plant-based proteins, but what’s really concerning is that healthy, natural foods are being demonised by the marketing department of food processors,” Mr Banham said.

“Impossible Foods may like to spruik the ‘healthy’ credentials of their synthetic nuggets, but this case of failing food standards has to be a blow for them.

“Synthetic or natural, the product needs to be safe, and we know animal-based proteins are safe.”

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Comments

  1. Kieron Greechan, 29/03/2023

    I mean great they pulled it up, but the main opinion they included here was from a man who’s Job is based around real chicken products hahahaha! “It’s concerning” wow I’m so surprised that that is his opinion hahaha! Brilliant reporting!

  2. Minh, 29/03/2023

    The food department why has no action in the Korea 辛 instant noodle has been banned in Europe and recently Taiwan food safety has discovered the unsafe instant noodle still widely sold at Woolworths supermarket.

  3. Meg Mcilwain, 28/03/2023

    If these products are so good, why are they being labelled as meat?
    These are not CHICKEN nuggets at all, they are vege nuggets. Please be honest in your labelling.

  4. owen heath, 28/03/2023

    The first people who said “I don’t want to eat the animals” should have been told bad luck, you’re going to eat it because that’s what people eat. That’s always been what we eat and will always be what we eat. Nothing else even comes close to animal fats and proteins..we need it to maintain muscle and hormones, brains and nervous system. Bloody sooks everywhere these days. Pathetic the way the world is now.

  5. Vic Ross, 27/03/2023

    It is false advertising to call them Chicken nuggets. All plant based products should be banned from calling themselves any kind of “meat”

    • George Pig, 28/03/2023

      I mean… *technically*…. the descendant of any species is a member of that species… so if we wanted to be super correct we should definitely be calling them dinosaur nuggies. Rawr.

  6. Hamish macgregor, 27/03/2023

    This has to be stopped the government is aware of this

  7. DEAN CALDWELL, 26/03/2023

    How can these even be labelled as Chicken Nuggets? If they are plant based, then they are not chicken.

    You can’t call something that it’s not.

    This plant based crap is going to far. Just eat a danm chicken nugget.

  8. Chris Jones, 25/03/2023

    We need to stop changing things and removing things from our daily lives that have served us so well for many years without an equal or better alternative. We are going backwards too fast. I blame the media and the internet for this madness. We need to protect all that we have and regulate this ridiculous behaviour before it gets any worse and too late.

  9. Kathy Gordon, 25/03/2023

    I think there is too much interference with what we eat. Gone is the time when we knew what we were eating. We havevtoo much artificial food produce. Thank you

  10. Leah Rodgers, 25/03/2023

    Id like to see the WHO and NWO sit down and eat these. Apparently most of our meat is glued together with bits and pieces. Mr Bill Gates you now own most of the farmland yet you want us to eat this poison. Can’t see how this would be good 4 anyone

  11. Dr Alexander Kuhl, 25/03/2023

    calcium pantothenate Is vitamine B5, which is essentially in any food of any kind whatever origin. Looks to me that either this reportage is a fluke or something is going totally wrong in Australian food safety administration.

    • Catherine Mac, 28/03/2023

      It can cause issues for toddlers and children, pregnant women, and people using blood thinners. Anything added to a food product needs to be labeled so we can all make informed choices.

    • Sean, 27/03/2023

      Calcium pantothenate is a synthetic lab made version of vitamin B5, it is not completely analogous to Pantothenic Acid (actual B5) and works differently in the body. Good on the govt for pulling this one up, the fake food revolution is getting out of hand.

  12. Grant, 25/03/2023

    Well done Dave Banham ,l for one will not eat such rubbish foods as this for the reasons given .NO crickets or bugs either as has been pushed more recently in the states by certain companies . Fire up that BBQ …There’s steaks to be had !!!!!

  13. James Preece, 25/03/2023

    I would have thought calling something chicken when it’s not is deceitful and should be illegal.

  14. John Drousas, 24/03/2023

    My comment is this. This global push to eradicate pure meat protein from consumers is NOT being pushed by consumers. The main stream media are complicit in this push. BUT by Bill Gates, WEF( Klaus Schwab) and their Globalist Elite. This is why Gates is buying up land in USA, Australia to eventually control the world’s food supply.
    The end game is for every human to eventually eat ( insect protein). It’s in Gates and WEF mission statement to do this.
    Australians young and old must WAKE UP!

    • Meg Mcilwain, 28/03/2023

      Let Klaus Schwab, Bill Gates and their ilk lead by example. They should be having insect protein in their own diets regularly.

  15. Mark, 21/03/2023

    Are you sure it is calcium pantothenate that is the band substance? Also known as Vitamin B5, you can buy this in any supermarket or health food store.

  16. mick alexander, 20/03/2023

    Its lucky a banned substance was found or there would be no safety checking at all. Safe to say – none of this synthetic rubbish has ever been safety tested and why it is ever allowed in the food chain or to be sold is a puzzle. It has the right terminology – “Fake Food”. About time the regulators forced these fake food companies to demonstrate the safety of their synthetic pretend products with long term, double blinded, replicated trials using pigs or mice lifetime studies initially. They would need to be monitoring changes to internal organs, reproduction, diseases, etc from long term exposure to these types of synthetics. and then only if fake food had no effect on animals, they should then undertake a long term study with human subjects.

  17. Suzanne, 20/03/2023

    I don’t know about these plant based chicken nuggets but I do know you can already get fast foods in Australia which are not all that healthy for you or your children. You only need to check the ingredients. Personally I prefer to have the real meat or chicken then add my own condiments. I would not like natural meat to disappear.

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