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Burger King tests plant-based sausage as Impossible Foods launches 'pork,' too

Photo: Burger King

January 7, 2020

On the heels of its enormous success with the Burger King Impossible Whopper last year, the world's No. 2 burger chain is now going after diners who pine for plant-based options in the morning. 

In late January, Burger King will test its Impossible Croissan'wich in 139 stores in select U.S. test markets, which the brand said in a news release makes it the first restaurant test Impossible Foods sausage product. However, both Dunkin' and Hardee's have previously introduced plant-based sausage breakfast sandwiches, featuring Beyond Meat's version of the increasingly popular option. 

This item features a vegetable-composed sausage patty, egg and cheese on a toasted croissant. It will be featured as an LTO at Burger King locations in:

• Savannah, Georgia. 
• Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Montgomery, Alabama. 
• Lansing, Michigan. 
• Springfield, Illinois. 

A similar test was run in seven cities last year of the Impossible Whopper before that plant-based burger option from Impossible Foods was added to the brand's permanent system-wide menu. 

Though Burger King is the first to feature Impossible Foods' sausage product, it'sdoubtful the brand will be the last to do so, since Impossible Foods not only announced the "sausage" product this week, but also a plant-based "pork" variation at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

At the sprawling Nevada show, thousands are getting a taste of what Impossible Foods said is a veggie-fied version of one of the planet's most popular meats. The "pork" and "sausage" products are the first new items from the company since the Impossible Burger debuted more than three years ago. 

The brand said the new "pork" option not only gives those who refrain from pig-derived products a "taste-alike" product, but it's also free of gluten, animal hormones and antibiotics, offering many other restricted dieters an alternative. 

"Impossible Foods cracked meat's molecular code — starting with ground beef, which is intrinsic to the American market," Impossible Foods' founder and CEO Patrick O. Brown said in the release. "Now we're accelerating the expansion of our product portfolio to more of the world's favorite foods.We won't stop until we eliminate the need for animals in the food chain and make the global food system sustainable."
  

Inset photo: Impossible Foods via Twitter.