Craving a Juicy Vegan Burger? Hit Up These Fast-Food Chains – VegNews
Just under 100 years ago, two men—one real estate agent and one chef—collaborated on a game-changing idea: cook hamburgers as quickly as possible, and sell them as cheaply as possible. Together, Edgar Waldo “Billy” Ingram and Walter Anderson opened the first White Castle restaurant in 1926, in Wichita, KS, and started selling square burgers for just five cents each. Back then, the pair couldn’t have imagined what their idea would pave the way for: a booming fast-food industry, that, in collective burger sales alone, made more than $92 billion in 2021.
Anderson’s first burger was made with fresh beef, squashed into a patty. And, of course, the most common fast-food burger today is pretty similar. The fast-food sector is one of the beef industry’s biggest customers. But that said, food innovation has come a long way since the early 20th century. Now, a number of fast-food chains are not only selling vegetable patties, but also burgers that look, cook, and taste like beef, the difference is, they’re made with plants.
As consumers understand more about meat’s environmental, ethical, and health impacts, vegan fast food is rising in popularity. By 2028, the market is predicted to reach a value of more than $40 billion. So if you’re looking for a fast-food burger hit, but you don’t want to eat meat, it’s easier than ever to find options. We’ve gathered all the national fast-food chains that sell vegan burgers. But first, let’s take a closer look at the vegan burger market, and two of its biggest names: Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.
What is a vegan burger?
According to Collins Dictionary, the term “burger” simply refers to “a flat round mass of minced meat or vegetables, which is fried and often eaten in a bread roll.” While many of these “flat round masses” are, of course, made with beef, burgers can also consist of a variety of ingredients, like chicken, fish, beans, or mushrooms. The term “vegan” means that a product is free from animals, so a vegan burger is made with plant-based ingredients only. These can take different formats. Some vegan burgers mimic meat, while others are more simple vegetable patties.
Are vegan burgers healthy?
The beef industry has a massive impact on the environment. It’s linked with driving deforestation, habitat destruction, and potent greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane. (In just one year, one cow can burp around 220 pounds of methane into the atmosphere.) As well as animal welfare implications (most animals in the meat industry are raised on cramped factory farms), this is one key reason why more consumers are opting for vegan burgers. But another …….