THE COMPANY behind the first vegan burger that “bleeds” has launched a meat-free alternative to pork today.

Impossible Foods’, one of the trailblazers in the meat substitute industry, has announced the creation of its pork substitute made from plants at CES, a tech conference in Las Vegas.

As part of the new slate of products, Impossible Foods has launched the Impossible Sausage, a plant-based food that resembles real sausage meat. The meat-free patty will be available to taste as an Impossible Croissan’wich, a croissant-sandwich hybrid, at selected Burger King restaurants in the US.

In addition to the imitation sausage, Impossible Foods has also made a vegan substitute for ground pork so that consumers can recreate dishes that traditionally contain the meat.

The new venture could prove to be especially lucrative for the company as pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world, according to 2014 data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Pat Brown, founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, said: “The launch of pork is a pivotal moment for us for at least a couple of reasons. First, it’s the second completely new product that we’re launching.

“Beef is popular around the world, but in many cultures the most popular and familiar and common dishes use pork as the main source of meat so for us to have an impact in those markets, pork is a necessity.”

Heme, a molecule found in plants and animals, is the key ingredient in Impossible Foods’ products and is what makes its plant-based foods taste like meat. The brand makes its heme by fermenting genetically engineered yeast.

Brown described Impossible Pork as “an amazingly delicious product that consumers around the world who love dishes that are traditionally made with pork will finally be able to serve to their families without the catastrophic environmental impact”.

Environmental activists and scientists are among those who have encouraged the adoption of meat-free diets and the reduction of the consumption of animal products to quell the irreversible effects of climate change.

Last year a report on climate change and land by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cited plant-based diets as one of the “major opportunities” to mitigate climate change risks.

Impossible Foods’ mission is to completely replace animals in the food system by 2035.