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Burger King introduces a vegan ‘Impossible Whopper’ and ‘No one can tell the difference’

3 min read

Inspiring People
Burger King introduces a vegan ‘Impossible Whopper’ and ‘No one can tell the difference’
Source: TheVerge/BurgerKing

Featuring a patty designed to look and taste like beef, Burger King trials a Whopper made with a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods—and no one can tell the difference!

Burger King unveils meatless ‘Impossible Whopper’ designed to mimic taste of flagship sandwich

Fast food giant Burger King is now selling a meat-free version of its flagship Whopper containing a plant-based patty that’s designed to emulate the look and taste of beef. So far the ‘Impossible Whopper’ is available at 59 locations in the St. Louis area starting 1st April, but Burger King’s chief marketing officer, Fernando Machado, told The New York Times there are plans to offer the burger at all of its 7,200 locations nationwide if the St. Louis trial is a success.

The Impossible Taste Test: ‘Impossible Whopper’ Burger King conducted an experiment to evaluate how well Whopper fans know their beloved Whopper. The people you will see here are real people and these are their real reactions. Source: YouTube/BurgerKing

The deal is a big step toward the mainstream for start-ups trying to mimic and replace meat

This week, Burger King introduced a version of its iconic Whopper sandwich filled with a vegetarian patty from the start-up Impossible Foods.

The ‘Impossible Whopper’, as it is known, is the biggest validation — and expansion opportunity — for a young industry that is looking to mimic and replace meat with plant-based alternatives.

Impossible Foods and some of their competitors in Silicon Valley have already had some mainstream success.—reported the New York Times yesterday.

The vegetarian burger made by Beyond Meat has been available at over a thousand Carl’s Jr. restaurants since January and the company is now moving toward an initial public offering.

White Castle has sold a slider version of the Impossible burger in its 380 or so stores since late last year. 

Source: NewYorkTimes

The Making of The Impossible™ Burger Because Impossible Foods use 0% cows, the Impossible™ Burger uses a fraction of the Earth’s natural resources. Compared to cows, the Impossible Burger uses 95% less land, 74% less water, and creates 87% less greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s 100% free of hormones, antibiotics, and artificial ingredients. Source: YouTube/ImpossibleFoods

Why it’s time to cut down on meat

The case for cutting meat consumption in developed nations has long been a compelling one from whichever perspective you look at it – human health, environmental good, animal welfare, fair distribution of planetary resources. 

The two most pressing reasons for cutting back on meat today are climate change and global population growth. 

The post-war years have seen an explosion in the numbers of animals intensively reared for meat and milk. 

This livestock revolution, and the change in land use that has gone with it, however, now contribute nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

Most people could do more for the climate by cutting meat than giving up their car and plane journeys.

Source: TheGuardian

The UN predicts that the number of farm animals will double by 2050. Except, of course, it can't. If people in emerging economies start eating as much meat as we do in the developed world, there simply won't be enough planet. Intensive meat production is a very inefficient way of feeding the world. Farm a decent acre with cattle and you can produce about 20lbs of beef protein. Give the same acre over to wheat and you can produce 138lbs of protein for human consumption. If the grain that is currently used to feed animals were fed instead directly to people, there may be just enough food to go round when population peaks. Replacing meat with more plant foods would also reduce diet-related diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and some cancers, according to reports in the Lancet. The question of how to feed the world is not new, but it has added urgency now as available resources dwindle. Source: TheGuardian
How to feed the world The UN predicts that the number of farm animals will double by 2050. Except, of course, it can’t. If people in emerging economies start eating as much meat as we do in the developed world, there simply won’t be enough planet. Intensive meat production is a very inefficient way of feeding the world. Farm a decent acre with cattle and you can produce about 20lbs of beef protein. Give the same acre over to wheat and you can produce 138lbs of protein for human consumption. If the grain that is currently used to feed animals were fed instead directly to people, there may be just enough food to go round when population peaks. Replacing meat with more plant foods would also reduce diet-related diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and some cancers, according to reports in the Lancet. The question of how to feed the world is not new, but it has added urgency now as available resources dwindle. Source: TheGuardian Source: Burger King
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CHECK OUT THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE "IMPOSSIBLE BURGER"?

The "Impossible Burger" looks, cooks, smells, sizzles and tastes like conventional ground beef but is made entirely from plants. Find out everything you need to know here.