After Burger King’s successful rollout of the Impossible Whopper in the US, the fast food giant has announced it will introduce two plant-based products to Burger King in Sweden. The products will be launched as The Unbelievable Whopper and the Unbelievable Chicken King.
The two new burgers are an alternative to the Impossible Whopper, which cannot be used in Europe at this time due to GMO regulations which prohibit the use of heme. Heme is the ingredient which Impossible says “makes meat taste like meat” and which created problems with the FDA prior to its initial launch in North America.
Burger King has said that the new items are due to consumer demand, and that Sweden is the first country in a European rollout for the plant-based sandwiches: “‘Many guests are asking for more options to reduce their meat consumption,” said Iwo Zakowski, CEO of Burger King Sweden. We hope that the plant-based alternative will appeal to both new and existing guests.”
Global fast food outlets now offering similar plant-based options include McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Carls Jr., Mad Mex, and several more. It is increasingly clear that the mainstream restaurant industry is under pressure to include vegan options on their menus as an imperative to maintaining market success and relevance.
