A New Plant-Based Sandwich May Be Heading To The Burger King Menu

Burger King is clearly the reigning monarch when it comes to introducing plant-based offerings in the fast food realm. Their Impossible Whopper kicked off in 2019 to great fanfare, though the fast food chain has encountered difficulties in maintaining consumer interest and profitability in its plant-based menu items. Taking steps like focusing consumer decision-making on the topic of sustainability rather than solely on the taste of a plant-based meat alternative appears to be a promising way to market menu items like the Impossible Whopper.

Another interesting development in Burger King's continuing rollout of plant-based foods is the decision to launch the Impossible Southwest Bacon Whopper, a choice intended for "flexitarians," or flexible vegetarians, consumers who choose to eat less meat without abandoning it entirely. The BK Impossible Southwest Bacon Whopper has a meatless patty that's paradoxically paired with real bacon on top, and it launched on June 17, 2022. It's the sort of hybrid approach that Burger King is betting will be a step toward a less rigid way to incorporate plant-based items into our diets.

Chew Boom tells us that Burger King is launching a plant-based version of its popular chicken sandwich. The Impossible Original Chick'n Sandwich is set to debut starting August 22, 2022, at select locations in Cincinnati, Ohio. The new sandwich is a ringer for the meat-based original, described as a: "seasoned plant-based Impossible chicken patty topped with shredded lettuce and creamy mayonnaise on a toasted sesame seed bun."

Veg News explains that Impossible Foods rolled out their plant-based version of chicken nuggets in 2021 and currently sells plant-based chicken patties at nationwide retailers like Safeway and Sprouts. How big is the environmental impact of these plant-based chicken alternatives? "Impossible Chicken Patties made from Plants use 49-percent less land, 44-percent less water, and emit 36-percent fewer greenhouse gasses than animal chicken patties." Consumers who want to keep their chicken sandwich entirely plant-based can simply order the Impossible Original Chick'n Sandwich without the mayonnaise.