On Oct. 15, William Paterson University announced famous meatless brand “Impossible Meat” as an option in the dining hall. The IMPOSSIBLE Menu offered three items for lunch: Impossible meatballs and spaghetti, Impossible meatball pizza, and Impossible Lasagna. 

The news broke through when @wpudining posted a video on Instagram of head Chef Larry making the special announcement. 

“We’re featuring the Impossible Meat,” Larry exclaimed. “It’s vegan/vegetarian-friendly and we’re going to have three different options for you to check out.” 

The WPU Dining Instagram page posted a photo as well of the Italian dish with the Impossible meat, which got about 20 more likes than their average photo/video post. 

Veganism has been becoming increasingly prevalent over the last few years, especially with college students. According to The Economist, “fully a quarter of 25 to 34-year-old Americans say they are vegans or vegetarians.” They also bring up a proven point that “where millennials lead, businesses and governments will follow.” 

Students have been requesting vegan and health-conscious options for over a year now, and not just at William Paterson University either. Last semester, the school hosted a meeting in May 2019 asking students to give input about what changes they would like to see in the dining hall. Their requests seem to have been considered.

Even students who have never tried fake meat were willing to try the new dishes. “It was really good. The lasagna tasted good. My friend even liked it who’s really picky with food,” said Leslie Campos, a public relations major at William Paterson University. “It filled me up as if it was real ground beef. It tasted like quality meat.” 

Campos is a meat-eater but was extremely surprised in the similarities of fake versus real meat.

The University currently gets its food catered through Sodexo, a hospitality company based in France. Students have expressed concerns in the past over the food quality and brand. 

Some may be discouraged to try the fake meat because they are unaware of the ingredients. The fact it mimics the flavor and texture of beef makes it intriguing, but unappealing to some. 

Others are curious if it is healthy. The product’s main ingredients consist of water, soy-protein concentrate, coconut oil and sunflower oil. It is a plant-based product with multiple health benefits, such as vitamins, and almost the same amount of protein as regular ground beef. 

The Impossible Meat has made an impact on a meat-eating society, and people cannot even tell the difference in many instances. When Burger King released the new Impossible Whopper, they released an ad called “The Impossible Taste Test” which pictured customers completely in shock after trying plant-based meat.

In a generation where more millennials and young students are switching to a plant-based diet, William Paterson University has responded. The question remains whether the University will make Impossible Meat a permanent option.