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CHAPTER TWO

Meat Alternatives

In 2019 the fast-food company Burger King introduced
its Impossible Whopper, a meatless sandwich made with
a vegetarian burger patty instead of beef. The company
hopes to draw people into its restaurants who usually avoid
fast-food offerings either because they eschew meat or they
desire healthier food options. This is not the fi rst time that
a fast-food chain has tried to introduce a meatless burger.
McDonald’s, for example, tried serving veggie burgers in the
past but gave up on the idea because they did not sell.
In 2011 its chief executive offi cer (CEO), Don Thompson,
complained, “We ended up serving four a day.” Burger
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King’s burger, however, is a new kind of vegetarian burger.
So far, it is highly successful. All restaurant sales increased
by 5 percent after it was introduced. Many customers insist
that the Impossible Whopper tastes just like the real thing.

Toward Reducing Meat Consumption
Burger King’s goal with the Impossible Whopper is to increase
its profi t by increasing its customer base, but this is possible
only because so many Americans are rethinking their eating
habits. According to a 2018 Gallup poll, about 5 percent of
Americans identify themselves as vegetarian, while about 3
percent say they are vegan. These numbers have remained
virtually unchanged over the past twenty years. Worldwide,
the average is about the same—approximately 5 percent of
people are vegetarian by choice. However, a 2018 study of
more than one thousand adults found that two-thirds report-

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