Burger King is the latest company to get on board the vegan train, as it revealed it was trialling a meat-free version of its Whopper.
The new ‘Impossible Whopper’ will be rolled out to 59 restaurants in St Louis, Missouri, as a test.
The burger has been developed with Impossible Foods, a Californian company which makes realistic meat substitutes - which includes burgers that can ‘bleed.’
The patties are made of genetically modified yeast and a protein which can mimic the taste and texture of meat.
The North America president, Christopher Finazzo, for Burger King said that the new vegan option tastes as good as the original.
Finazzo told the Guardian : “We’ve done sort of a blind taste test with our franchisees, with people in the office, with my partners on the executive team, and virtually nobody can tell the difference.”
Burger King has had vegetarian options on the menu for a long time, however the difference between the existing veggie bean burger and the new vegan Whopper is that the latter is much closer in taste to meat.
This means for newly converted vegans and vegetarians, as well as current meat-eaters looking for a more eco-conscious option, the ‘Impossible Whopper’ may be a much easier sell.
While the choice may appeal to those looking to cut back on or cut out meat, as well as people worried about environmental sustainability - for the penny pinchers among you it may not be your first choice.
The new vegan dish is currently selling for about a dollar more than the beef version.
While the product is only available in the US in one city, the boom in veganism and plant-based diets worldwide could mean we aren’t waiting too long to try one.
With Greggs and the success of their vegan sausage roll, maybe Burger King UK will be the next destination for the ‘Impossible Whopper.’
