On April 1, Burger King began testing the veggie burger, using Impossible Foods' herbal patty. The test was held in St. Louis and "went extremely well," a spokesman for Restaurant Brands International (QSR), Burger King's parent company, said. The spokesman added that sales of the Impossible Whopper are complementary to those of the ordinary Whopper.
That's exactly what Burger King wants.
With Impossible Whopper, Burger King primarily targets meat consumers looking for a more balanced diet. The new product is designed to "give someone who wants to eat a hamburger every day, but does not necessarily want to eat beef every day, permission to enter restaurants more often", has said Chris Finazzo, president of Burger King North America CNN Business during the discussion on the initial test.
The Impossible Whopper is supposed to have the same taste as the ordinary Burger King Whopper. Unlike veggie burgers, Impossible burger patties are designed to mimic the appearance and texture of meat when cooked. The vegetable protein startup recently unveiled a new recipe, designed to look and taste even more meat. This version is used in Burger King's Impossible Whoppers.
The company plans to expand into more markets "in the near future" before marketing its sandwich nationwide by the end of the year. Burger King had about 7,300 US sites by the end of last year.
The public is interested in proteins of plant origin because of concerns about animal welfare and the environmental impact of industrial farming, and because some consumers want to reduce their meat consumption for health reasons.
And the interest seems to grow. The global market for meat substitutes is expected to grow from about $ 4.6 billion in 2018 to $ 6.4 billion in 2023, according to market research firm MarketsandMarkets.
Beyond Meat, the main competitor of Impossible Food, thinks the potential is greater. In a document filed with the SEC detailing the company's 10-year IPO plans, Beyond Meat predicted that over time, the original meat market plant could reach $ 35 billion in the United States. Beyond the meat plans to start trading in early May.
