News

QSR plant-based burgers orders spike 10% over last year

White Castle's Impossible Slider

July 17, 2019

QSR orders for plant-based burgers shot up 10% this year over last, to a whopping 228 million servings according to new data from the NPD Group. That's a far cry from the 6.4 billion beef burgers ordered at QSRs for the year ending May 2019, but that's a fairly flat number from the previous year, the company said in a news release, adding that strong plant-based burger ordering is primarily due to increased availability at major QSR chains, like Burger King's Impossible Whopper and White Castle's Impossible Slider. 

Perhaps just as interesting is research the company pinpointing showing that typical burger buyers at QSRs — those buying burgers an average of about 18 times over a 12-month period — did actually try the plant-based patties typically reporting buying them twice over that same year. 

Although vegetarians and vegans are certainly contributing to the growth in plant-based, they still represent a small (single digits) percentage of the U.S. population and aren't the primary contributors. A larger percentage of the overall adult population, 18%, are trying to get more plant-based foods into their diets, according to NPD's Health Aspirations and Behavioral Tracker.

The popularity of plant-based foods is being fueled by consumers' desire to put more protein in their daily eating, as well as animal welfare concerns, worries about how meat products are brought to market, sustainability and perceptions that plant-based offerings might be more healthful. 

"Plant-based burgers allow consumers to substitute without sacrifice. They get the 'burger' experience while assuaging their need for more protein and social concerns," NPD Food and Beverage Analyst Darren Seifer, said in the release. "With that said, U.S. consumers have not given up on beef burgers but are willing to mix things up every now and them."