Burger King has developed a meat-free version of its famous Whopper burger, to entice more vegetarian customers to its restaurants.
The Impossible Whopper has been created from plant-based patties which mimic the look, feel and taste of real meat, setting it apart from other veggie burgers, the fast food chain claims.
The patties are made by Impossible Foods, a Silicon Valley-based start-up which uses modern technology to create the burger while lessening the environmental impact of breeding livestock.
Burger King will trial the burger in 59 of its restaurants in the city of St Louis in Missouri and if deemed a success, it will roll out the meat-free version of its signature burgers internationally.
The trial is designed to encourage vegans, vegetarians and environmentally-conscious meat eaters to visit Burger King at a time when interest in plant-based products and their associated health benefits is rising.
The new recipe has ensured the patties contain the same amount of protein and iron as you would find in typical beef burgers
According to Burger King, the Impossible Whopper has slightly fewer calories than the classic burger and is also very low in cholesterol.
The cost of producing the Impossible Whoppers, however, is more than the regular Whopper so customers will pay around 76p ($1) more.
American fast food chain White Castle announced earlier this year that it would begin rolling out Impossible Foods products to its 377 locations nationwide.
However, it would be a major milestone for the company if it reached the potential for its product to be sold in Burger King’s 7,100 nationwide restaurants.
The chain has been looking into a way to introduce a plant-based burger to its menu for about a year and hopes the new product will “give somebody who wants to eat a burger every day, but doesn’t necessarily want to eat beef every day, permission to come into the restaurants more frequently,” Chris Finazzo, president of Burger King North America, told CNN.