Burger King to offer meatless Whoppers this year

Justin Chan
Updated ·2 min read

Vegetarians who visit Burger King will soon be able to have it their way.

The fast-food chain plans to offer a vegetarian version of its signature Whopper across the U.S. this year, following the success of the vegetarian burger's rollout in St. Louis earlier this month, according to CNN.

The new item, otherwise known as the Impossible Whopper, is supposed to "give somebody who wants to eat a burger every day, but doesn't necessarily want to eat beef everyday, permission to come into the restaurants more frequently," Chris Finazzo, president of Burger King North America, told CNN Business.

Burger King teamed up with startup company Impossible Foods to create an Impossible Whopper that consists of heme, a plant-based protein that imitates the look and taste of meat when cooked. The announcement marks a major expansion of the fast-food chain's strategy, as the demand for meat alternatives among consumers grows.

Several businesses, including Del Taco, Qdoba, White Castle and Carl's Jr., already offer items with meat alternatives, according to Vox. And one study by research firm MarketsandMarkets suggests that the meat-substitutes market is projected to reach $6.43 billion by 2023.

Burger King's latest move is also somewhat of a win for animal rights activists and environmentalists, who have long voiced concerns about the carbon footprint that humans leave when consuming meat. One Oxford study points out that meat and other animal products account for over half of food-related greenhouse gas emissions. Avoiding such products would reduce a person's carbon footprint by two-thirds, its authors claim.

While Burger King customers who are looking for healthier options may have something to look forward to this year, those who frequent its biggest competitor, McDonald's, may have to wait their turn — at least in the U.S. The world's second-largest fast-food chain has no plans to introduce a vegetarian version of its burgers to American consumers, despite releasing the McVegan burger and vegan McNuggets in Europe, Vox notes.

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