Burger King (QSR) on Monday announced its plans to begin testing the first-ever plant-based version of its Original Chicken Sandwich beginning August 22nd in Cincinatti, Ohio.
The menu addition will only be available for a limited time and includes the same ensemble as the original sandwich, seasoned and topped with shredded lettuce and mayonnaise on a toasted sesame seed bun.
According to a press release, the Impossible chicken patty will be cooked in the same fryer as chicken patties, potentially hoping to avoid another lawsuit.
In 2019, Burger King was accused of deceiving vegan, vegetarian and other customers into thinking the plant-based patties used for its original Impossible Whoppers were cooked on different grills than those for beef and chicken. In 2020, a Florida-based federal judge dismissed the lawsuit writing that “Burger King promised a non-meat patty and delivered,” according to Reuters.
Also that year Burger King introduced the Impossible Whopper, and announced plans to test Impossible Nuggets in late 2021.
Since then, other fast food giants have jumped onto the bandwagon in an effort to take a bite out of the rising non-meat trend. Starbucks (SBUX) launched the Impossible breakfast sandwich in June 2020, McDonald’s (MCD) announced its plans to test the McPlant in September of 2021. Wendy’s (WEN) introduced its Spicy Black Bean Burger last summer, though it has since been taken off menus. Other companies have also dabbled in the veggie-burger trend, such as Dunkin’s partnership with Beyond Meat, which is now only in limited restaurants.
The fake meat industry shows no signs of slowing down though.
According to Grand View Research, the global plant-based meat market is expected to reach $24.8 billion dollars by 2030, with an expected annual growth rate of 9.3% between 2022 to 2030.
On Monday, Impossible also announced Chicken Patties which will hit frozen food aisles at nationwide retailers like Safeway and Sprouts (SFM) this month, in addition to others like Kroger (KR) and Albertsons (ACI) this month.
Brooke DiPalma is a producer and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at [email protected].
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