Sept. 15, 2021 -- The explosion in the plant-based food market has many advocates hoping the plethora of new products will be part of a food revolution that aims to improve our health and save our planet.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere -- or just quarantined for the pandemic -- you’ve probably attempted to switch to a plant-based diet yourself or know someone who has.

Vegetarianism and veganism are wildly popular -- one survey estimated the number of vegans increased 300% from 2004 to 2019 -- and the diets and lifestyles are so much easier now with new plant-based products springing up all over the market.

In 2020, plant-based food sales were up 27%, with sales over $7 billion, according to the Plant Based Foods Association.

Impossible Foods, a company that produces plant-based meat alternatives, has thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the start of the crisis in 2020, the Impossible Burger was available in around 150 retail stores, according to Dennis Woodside, president of Impossible Foods.

“By the end of 2020, it was available in about 17,000 stores in all 50 states, a more than 100 times increase in 2020 alone,” he says.

Today, the Impossible Burger is sold in more than 22,000 restaurants and grocery stores, including major grocery chains like Kroger, Walmart, and Trader Joe’s, Woodside says.

Along with the health benefits that come with switching from animal meat to plant-based meat, people are also becoming more aware of the environmental benefits, he says.

“Animal agriculture is a leading contributor of greenhouse gas emissions globally,” Woodside says. “Our mission is to reduce the impact of climate change by skipping animals entirely and making the same meat, fish, and dairy products people love -- from plants.”

Total US Plant-based food dollar sales & growth by category, 2020 ????

Plant-based milk - $2.5B (20%⬆️)

Other plant-based dairy - $1.9B (28%⬆️)

Plant-based meat - $1.4B (45%⬆️)

Plant-based meals - $520M (29%⬆️) https://t.co/z0hbxXi2iU pic.twitter.com/pgkB5JcKlJ — Punit (@punitbansal14) September 14, 2021

Animal-based foods are responsible for 57% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, compared to just 29% for plant-based crops, according to a new report in Scientific American.

One way to reduce this impact is by creating plant-based meats that outshine animal meat in terms of taste, texture, and appearance, says Woodside.

His company has a goal to replace animal agriculture by 2035.