Impossible Foods is on a mission: The company wants to transform the global food industry by making sustainable meat, fish, and dairy alternatives from plants.
Food is a $1.4 trillion global industry. Because of its massive size, it uses significant natural resources. Animal meat production uses almost half the world's land and consumes almost a quarter of its fresh water while contributing roughly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Impossible Foods wants to change this equation by getting more people to shift their diets from animal to plant-based protein. While it had a huge growth runway, considering global plant-based protein sales were only about $8.1 billion in 2023.
It seems that appetites have changed in both investing and in plant-based proteins and meat alternatives. As of 2025, the plant-based protein market has experienced a significant decline in funding, investment, and sales.
While this market felt like a massive opportunity for many investors at first, investing in Impossible Foods may not be a great strategy moving forward. Here's a guide on how to invest in Impossible Foods stock and whether it is wise to invest in the first place.
Is Impossible Foods publicly traded?
Impossible Foods isn't a publicly traded company as of late 2025. It is a private company held by a small group of investors. Unless you are an accredited investor with private access, you cannot invest in the company.
When will Impossible Foods IPO?
Impossible Foods doesn't have an IPO on the calendar as of late 2025. An IPO has grown unlikely, at least in the near term, due in part to the poor stock performance of competitor Beyond Meat (BYND -1.61%). Instead, CEO Peter McGuinness suggested in an interview in mid-2024 that a sale of the entire company within the next few years is one option it could consider.
Is it worth investing in Impossible Foods?
This right here is the million-dollar question. Impossible Foods and its competitors were billed by Wall Street as the next great investment in the global food market. However, the numbers tell a different story.
To help prove this point and because Impossible Foods isn't required to release its financials, let's take a look at one of its closest competitors, Beyond Meat. In 2019, Beyond Meat had a stock price of over $200 a share with a market cap of $11.8 billion.
As of 2025, Beyond Meat trades at $2 a share and carries a market cap of just $160 million. Stocks aside, according to Beyond Meat's 2025 financial report, 2024 returned a decline in revenue to the tune of $44 million in net losses.
While we can't say for certain that Impossible Foods has suffered the same fate, it's reasonable to assume that Impossible Foods is in a similar boat, given that CEO Peter McGuinness stated in an interview in mid-2024 that the company wasn't yet profitable and was considering selling the entire company off.
While it is true that the global meat industry has the potential to cause harm in both public and environmental health, people's attitudes towards alternative meats are widely negative. The average American household spent roughly $600 on traditional meat products, while those who purchased alternative meat products spent an average of $50 per year, and frankly, most people prefer the real thing.
Alternatives to Impossible Foods
Because Impossible Foods isn't a publicly traded company, you can't get passive exposure through an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)
However, investors interested in the company can gain exposure to other food stocks via ETFs focused on the food industry. Here are some of the top options to consider:
- Invesco Dynamic Food & Beverage ETF (PBJ -0.42%): Invesco Dynamic Food & Beverage ETF is a concentrated ETF holding 31 companies, such as DoorDash (DASH +1.73%), Kroger (KR -0.68%), and Sysco Corp. (SYY -0.45%). With a heavy focus on the food industry and a 0.61% expense ratio, this ETF could be a great addition.
- Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC -0.17%): The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF tracks the top 109 major consumer companies, such as Walmart (WMT +0.23%), Coca-Cola (KO -0.64%), and Costco (COST -0.15%). With one of the lowest expense ratios (0.09%), this ETF could be a great addition to a beginner investor's portfolio.
How to invest in options similar to Impossible Foods
- Open your brokerage app: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
- Search for the stock or ETF: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
- Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
- Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
- Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
- Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.
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The bottom line on Impossible Foods
Impossible Foods had a massive opportunity to disrupt the global animal protein market, but it's becoming more and more clear that the public's appetite for alternative meats is rapidly fading. Investors need to carefully consider whether they want to invest in Impossible Foods when it goes public in the future.
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