USA – World’s leading hamburger chain, Burger King has announced that it is releasing the plant-based Impossible Whopper burger across the US.

The Impossible Whopper goes nationwide at all 7,200 Burger King locations in the US on August 8 after a successful test in St. Louis and subsequent launch in other cities including San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami.

The Impossible Whopper contains meat-free patties developed by California-based Impossible Foods topped with sliced tomatoes and onions, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup and pickles on a toasted sesame seed bun.

It contains 630 calories, 34 grams of fat (11 saturated) and 25 grams of protein, and 58 grams of carbs compared to the traditional Whopper which contains 49grams of carbs, 40 grams of fat (12 of which are saturated) 28 grams of protein and 60 calories.

“We are really excited to be able to offer our new Impossible Whopper to our guests across the country at an unbeatable value for a limited time,” said Chris Finazzo, president, North America, Burger King Corporation.

“Since we first launched our market tests in St. Louis in April, and later in six other markets across the country, we’ve heard great feedback.

“Know the Impossible Whopper appeals to both current guests who are already big fans of the Whopper sandwich, as well as new guests who are excited about this new option.”

Burger King hasn’t made any plans for putting the Impossible Whopper permanently on its menu yet. It will be reviewing the Impossible Whopper’s performance over the next few months before making a decision on its permanence.

Demand for meat alternatives is fast growing, attributed to concerns over the health and environmental impacts of meat. This is prompting food companies to invest in the plant-based foods and beverages.

The Impossible Burger in particular has led in this market as one of the fastest growing and most popular products in 2019.

Early this year, Impossible Foods introduced a new meat-free burger, containing no gluten, animal hormones or antibiotics. The company has also been working with the FDA to get approval for a number of additives inside the burger.

The start-up has since raised US$300 million in a Series E funding round, taking the total amount it has secured since inception to more than US$750 million.

Impossible Foods said the latest funding round follows “unprecedented demand” for its meat alternative products.