Anything is possible.
That's today's mantra now that we know that Burger King is rolling out a vegetarian "Impossible Whopper" in select restaurants in the United States.
The fast food behemoth announced a test run for the burger in 59 restaurants in the St. Louis area.
The plant-based burger comes from Impossible Foods Inc. The move is a huge step for the company because, as one report observes, "a national rollout at Burger King's 7,200 locations would dwarf those previous announcements and more than double the total number of locations where Impossible's burgers are available."
Even more interesting: Burger King was able to trick its die-hard Whopper fans into testing out the "Impossible Whopper" and no one could tell the difference.
According to Burger King's North America president, Christopher Finazzo:
"We wanted to make sure we had something that lived up to the expectations of the Whopper. 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."
Switching to plant-based alternatives, companies like Impossible and Beyond Meat argue, is not only humane, but leaves a significant mark on the emission of greenhouse gases; meat production is one of the single biggest contributors to climate change, and the production of the plant-based burger produces a fraction of the greenhouse gases traditional meat production already makes, according to an analysis commissioned by the company.
The Impossible Whopper would cost $1 more than a traditional Whopper, but boasts significantly more health benefits: It has the same amount of protein as a regular Whopper, but has 15 percent less fat and 90 percent less cholesterol.
The news has many thrilled.
Bring it on, Burger King––as long as we can continue to have it our way.
