Impossible Foods, the makers behind the plant-based Impossible Burger, is staking its claim in meatier territory.

The plant-based company -- known for creating alternatives to meat using a substance called heme, a red iron molecule found in meat and some plants that makes food cook, bleed and taste like beef -- said it’s out to make a meatless steak next.

Impossible Foods founder and CEO Pat Brown revealed that he was up for the challenge in a recent talk with The Spoon. “The next categorically new product that we’ll launch is almost certainly going to be like a beef steak,” Brown said. “It has huge symbolic value … if we can make an awesomely delicious world-class steak … it will be very disruptive not just to the beef industry, but to other sectors of the meat industry.”

Brown did not give a timeframe for when the “Impossible Steak” will hit stores. But with more Americans looking for meatless alternatives in their main courses, it could appeal not only to vegans and vegetarians, but also to avowed carnivores looking to eat less meat. Six percent of Americans identify as vegan according to the GlobalData “Top Trends in Prepared Foods in 2017” report. In fact, the total market for the plant-based food sector was more than $3.1 billion in sales in 2017, according to data from Nielsen, The Good Food Institute and the Plant Based Foods Association.

One-third of all Americans, and 37% of millennials, plan to buy more plant-based products over the next year, according to Mintel’s 2018 Summer Food & Drink Trends report. And specialty vegan products such as the jackfruit, black bean chipotle, mushroom mince and cauliflower are becoming popular substitutes for barbecue meats such as steak and sausage.

Jackfruit sales have been taking off, in particular, since the meaty texture can be shredded to resemble pulled pork or chicken. Upton’s Naturals, a natural foods company that focuses on meat alternatives, credits the spiky fruit native to Southeast Asia for boosting its sales. The company sells the products shredded or “carnitas style,” seasoned, plus already-prepared versions in stores.

“Since our jackfruit launch, which seems to have kickstarted the jackfruit trend, our company has doubled its staff and grown overall by 300%,” Dan Staackmann, Upton’s Naturals founder told Moneyish. “As more mainstream consumers adopt a vegan diet, or at least incorporate more plant-based foods into their diet, we’ll see a continued rise in the popularity of meat alternatives.”

Also read: McDonald’s is now selling a ‘McVegan,’ a non-dairy, no-meat burger

Plant-based diets and products are appealing to increasingly health-conscious foodies. NYC student Myra Sabet, 21, became a vegetarian a year and half ago because she was worried about her family’s history of heart disease. “I did a lot of research ... and learned that there were a lot of health conditions that arise from eating meat, and I realized a lot of my family members have had heart problems from it, as well,” she told Moneyish. And it’s been a relatively easy transition because she’s not alone. “I have noticed that especially here in New York, a lot of people in college are trying to eat clean and healthy,” she said.

Some other recent additions to the veggie burger world include the “Beyond Burger,” developed by plant-based product company Beyond Meat. The brand has seen a record setting four-fold increase in sales, and has had to expand from a 30,000-square-foot production facility to a second, 100,000-square-foot facility to feed the high demand. “This expansion in our production capacity speaks to the transitions we are seeing within consumers, who are getting more and more information about red meat in relation to their health,” Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, told Moneyish. “In my opinion, the future is one in which it is commonplace for people to have plant-based meats. (And) the reason I’m so adamant about calling it that [plant-based ‘meat’] is because, in terms of ingredients, it satiates people in the same way.”

A lot of restaurants have also noticed an uptick in the number of vegetarian and vegan dishes being ordered by customers. “I think it’s easier than ever for people to access delicious, meatless, vegan options for summer BBQs,” Samantha Wasser, co-founder of the fast-casual vegan restaurant by CHLOE in NYC told Moneyish. “We’ve seen a general increase in diners wanting more plant-based options, even if they don’t subscribe to a fully vegan lifestyle.

“People are becoming more aware of the food they are putting in their bodies, how it makes them feel, where it comes from and how it impacts our planet,” Wasser added. And recent trend reports support this. Grubhub’s Mid-Year Data Analysis found a 19% increase in vegan orders in 2017 over the previous year, with the top five trendiest vegan dishes being vegan quesadillas and tofu wings.