News in brief
Burger King plans nationwide rollout of Impossible Burger by the end of 2019
A spokeswoman said: “The Impossible Whopper test in St. Louis went exceedingly well and as a result there are plans to extend testing into additional markets in the very near future.
“Burger King Restaurants are targeting nationwide availability of the Impossible Whopper by the end of 2019. Burger King Restaurants in St Louis are showing encouraging results and Impossible Whopper sales are complementing traditional Whopper purchases.”
The trial in Burger King – which follows launches in Red Robin and White Castle for Impossible Foods and in Del Taco, A&W, and Carl's Jr for rival beyond Meat – is a “major milestone for the plant-based meat industry,” Zak Weston, foodservice analyst at the Good Food Institute (GFI) told FoodNavigator-USA. Read more HERE.
"This is just the beginning. Burger King has thrown down the gauntlet and we expect to see similar moves from other industry players. Burgers are just the start and we’re likely to see plant-based chicken, fish and pork rolled out on menus and becoming increasingly popular.
“These chains clearly recognize the huge business opportunity here. Industrial animal farming is extraordinarily inefficient and as economies of scale kick in and supply ramps up, the price of plant-based alternatives will plummet to well below that of their animal-based competitors.
“Once this happens, the fact that even Burger King’s taste testers can’t tell a difference will dictate that the Impossible Whopper and other plant-based meats will become the norm. This change can't come soon enough."
Bruce Friedrich, executive director, The Good Food Institute
