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Burger King is debuting its Impossible Whopper burger in Canada, following the roaring success of its US launch.
The fast-food chain has already begun serving the Impossible patty in select restaurants in Ontario. Next month, it will roll the meat-free sandwich out to all of its outlets across the country.
‘Just as juicy as the classic Whopper’
Matt Wright is a General Manager at Burger King Canada. In an online statement, he said: “The Whopper is an icon, and we know how much our guests love its unique, flame-grilled taste.
“But, we also know those guests – and really, all Canadians – are always looking for more choice, and are increasingly interested in options without beef.
“That’s why we’re thrilled to have worked with the team at Impossible Foods to create a burger that is truly just as juicy and delicious as the classic Whopper.”
‘Delicious plant-based burgers’
Dennis Woodside is the President of Impossible Food. He added: “We’ve been delighted by the popularity of the Impossible Whopper in the US. [We] are thrilled to bring it to our Impossible Foods fans in Canada.
“Our mission is to sell Impossible products everywhere conventional animal meat is sold today. And, that includes Burger King, whose huge footprint and affordable prices can make delicious plant-based burgers accessible to more Canadians than ever before.”
Impossible Whopper
Bak in 2019, Burger King trialed the Impossible Whopper in 59 stores in St. Louis. According to the chain’s bosses, the trial ‘exceeded expectations’ and was rolled out across all 7,000 US stores.
A spokesperson for Burger King described the meat-free burger as ‘one of the most successful product launches in brand history’.
Moreover, a report from InMarket Insights says the burger’s debut increased foot traffic in St. Louis locations by 16.75 percent. While stores that didn’t offer the sandwich saw foot traffic drop 1.75 percent lower than the previous month’s average.
Vegan controversy
Some vegans have embraced the burger, ordering it without mayo as an animal-free option. However, others have chosen to eschew it because of Impossible Foods’ history of animal testing.
Impossible Foods itself describes its patty as plant-based rather than vegan. This is because one of its ingredients – soy leghemoglobin aka ‘heme’ – was fed to rats in order to test its safety. More than 180 rats died.
