Tuesday 2 April 2019

Burger King cooks up a meat-free Whopper

Burger King has unveiled a new meat-free version of its famous Whopper burger.

The fast food giant has teamed up with Impossible Foods to launch the Impossible Whopper, which swaps out the traditional beef patty for a vegetarian alternative.

The patty is made of soy protein, potato protein, coconut oil, sunflower oil and heme - it provides 17 grams of protein and zero milligrams of cholesterol.

Plant-based proteins are also much more environmentally friendly than meat options, with beef production proving particularly emissions intensive - some reports suggest the largest meat and dairy producers could surpass major oil companies as the largest contributors to environmental pollution.

Burger King is initially only trialling the product in 59 restaurants across the city of St Louis, US but says if the trial proves successful, Burger King says it will roll out the Impossible Whopper nationally.

British scientists have taken a step towards lab-grown meat by successfully growing animal cells on blades of grass.