Popular fake chicken product fails random test in breach of Australian food standards

The discovery of a banned ingredient in plant-based chicken nuggets has done what all the argy-bargy over food labelling has failed to do - stop it being imported.

The popular chicken product imported from fake food powerhouse Impossible Foods in the USA has been stopped at the border.

Australia is still deciding on how it responds to the controversy over the labelling of fake meat products, this breach of a well-known product has caught everyone by surprise.

Not only did the nuggets fail testing, Impossible Foods has been issued with a "holding order" for the product.

This means any further attempts to import the nuggets have to undergo more testing.

The holding order also means the importer must either destroy or re-export the food, under the supervision of an authorised imported food officer.

Testing during a random sweep by the Department of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries on a basket of imports uncovered the breach.

These chicken nuggets are sold in supermarkets for around $13.

The ingredient calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5) was detected by authorities and is not permitted in the soy-based nuggets.

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"The food poses a potential risk to human health as consumption of the food may lead to detrimental excesses or imbalances of the vitamin, in consumers of the food," a department spokesman said.

Vitamins and minerals can only be added to food if allowed by the national Food Standards Code.

Impossible Foods clearly states in its online information about the ingredients which make up its nuggets the inclusion of Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5) although there is no information on the amounts of the vitamin used in the product.

"They're also way better for the planet than chicken nuggets from animals. The best nuggets no longer come from chicken. They're made from plants," the company says of its nuggets.

"Australian animal chicken nuggets (baked) contain 4.7g of saturated fat and 16.7g of total fat, while Impossible™ Chicken Nuggets Made From Plants contain 1.6g of saturated fat and 9.6g total fat per 95g."

Impossible Foods had been approached for comment.

A holding order for the products has been issued under the Imported Food Control Act 1992.

"Holding orders ensure future consignments (same product, producer and country of origin) of a food are referred for inspection to verify compliance and safety," the department spokesman said.

The issue of fake foods was in the spotlight last year during a Senate inquiry into food labelling.

The inquiry investigated whether terms such as 'meat-free mince, sausage made with plants' and 'vegan bacon' pass muster.

The government is still deciding how to act on the inquiry's recommendations to change labelling laws.