Guest guest Posted March 20, 2002 Report Share Posted March 20, 2002 by Erik Marcus at Vegan.com I have some not-so-great news to report. Fortunately, since I'm publishing this online, I don't have to worry about anyone shooting the messenger. Today, more than 8300 Burger Kings across the United States launch their VeggieBurger. When this burger was first announced a few months ago, it was supposed to be a vegan product. Well, it's not. I found out a few days ago that the burger was about to be launched, so I put in a call to Burger King's headquarters. I was initially told that the default burger would be unacceptable to vegans, but could be prepared vegan if the customer made two requests. The reason the default burger wasn't vegan, I was told, is that it contains low- fat mayonnaise, and is cooked on the same grill on which Burger King cooks its regular beef burgers. However, it's easy to get around these two issues. Anyone who goes to a Burger King can ask that the burger patty be microwaved. That way, it won't come in contact with cooking surfaces that are used all day long to cook beef. This microwave option is available at every Burger King, and I was told that all franchises have been asked to make this option available for vegetarians who request it. The mayonnaise problem is even easier to handle. You can just them to hold the mayo, and they will honor your request. During my conversation with a company spokeswoman, she asked if I would like an ingredient listing. I gave her my email address, and in five minutes I had her email in my in-box. When I scrolled down to the bun ingredients, here's what I saw (I've set the offending ingredient in boldface): ENRICHED FLOUR (NIACIN, IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, AND FOLIC ACID), WATER, SUGAR, (SUCROSE OR HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP), VEGETABLE SHORTENING, YEAST, SALT, WHEAT GLUTEN, SESAME SEEDS, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BUTTER FLAVOR, YEAST FOOD (CALCIUM SULFATE, POTASSIUM IODATE, AND/OR AMMONIUM SULFATE), DOUGH CONDITIONERS (POLYSORBATE 60, CALCIUM PEROXIDE [OXIDANT], CALCIUM SALTS, SULFATES, PHOSPHATES, AND AMMONIUM SALTS), DOUGH STRENGTHENERS (SODIUM AND/OR CALCIUM-2-STEAROYL LACTYLATE OR ETHOXYLATED MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES), DOUGH SOFTENERS (MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, AND/OR PROTEASE ENZYME). MOLD INHIBITOR (CALCIUM PROPIONATE), PRESERVATIVE (POTASSIUM SORBATE), OXIDATION REDUCTION ADDITIVES (ASCORBIC ACID, POTASSIUM/CALCIUM IODATE, ALPHA-AMYLASE, AZODICARBONAMIDE), LEAVENING AGENT (MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE). I then exchanged a couple more emails with her, which established that this butter flavor is dairy-derived. Now, I can cheerfully eat a burger without mayonnaise, but it's pretty difficult to eat one without the bun. What Went Wrong? When news of Burger King's Veggieburger first came out a few months ago, it was widely reported that the burger would be entirely vegan. It was also reported that the burger would come on a vegan whole wheat bun. I don't know this for sure, but I bet what happened is that, somewhere along the line, some official at Burger King decided that the regular white bun would be good enough. Maybe the whole wheat bun would take extra time to develop, or maybe they just decided it wasn't worth carrying an extra bun item in inventory. So where does this leave vegans? It's worth bearing in mind that the amount of dairy in this bun is incredibly tiny. The bun has more sesame seeds than dairy, and it even contains more salt than dairy. Even though the amount of dairy is tiny, I personally wouldn't feel right eating this product. After all, it's not vegan. Even though I'm disappointed, I will still strongly urge my non- vegetarian friends to give this product a try. This product may not be suitable for vegans, but it could still do more to help farm animals than any product that has ever come to market. For the first time ever, you can walk into a fast-food establishment and order a burger that is, for all practical purposes, vegan. I think it's extremely important that vegans take as much advantage of this product as possible, in terms of letting the non-vegetarian world know about its launch. Probably the main reason people don't become vegetarian is the fear of reduced food choices and inconvenience. Now, for the first time, you can walk into any Burger King and order a burger just like anybody else—and what you'll get will be totally vegetarian and nearly vegan. I know that, back when I was contemplating going vegetarian, the decision would have been a snap if I knew I could still eat at Burger King. As for me, I'm feeling a bit like Moses, and perhaps you are too. I may not have walked around a desert for forty years, but I've been vegan for almost fifteen, and now I'm being denied the promised land of being able to eat a vegan Veggieburger at Burger King. As disappointed as I am that I won't personally get to try this product, I hope the Burger King Veggieburger not only succeeds, but that it's a smash-hit product. If it does succeed, you can count on McDonald's and Wendy's rushing similar products to market. Such an event would mark the biggest step forward for America's farm animals in history. And maybe one day, Burger King will introduce that long-awaited vegan whole wheat bun. With the launch of BK's Veggieburger, we vegans have some reason to feel let down. But this launch is also a sure sign that we're making progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2002 Report Share Posted March 24, 2002 I liked the article, and I agree with you. It would be easier, and not significantly harmful, to discount trivial levels of dairy, be less strict about being vegan ... but I expect my choices wouldn't then be taken seriously by colleagues and friends. xxx_suicidal_vegan_xxx wrote: > > As for me, I'm feeling a bit like Moses, and perhaps you are too. Well, I live with someone who worships the ancient Egyptian pantheon, just like Moses for most of his life. Does that count? . > I > may not have walked around a desert for forty years, but I've been > vegan for almost fifteen, and now I'm being denied the promised land > of being able to eat a vegan Veggieburger at Burger King. Burger King is your promised land? Well, you're probably less likely to be conquered and dispersed several times over than you are with the biblical promised land ... Fingers crossed for the vegan wholewheat bun. Thanks for posting, and I hope my smartass comments don't offend. -- Ian McDonald http://www.mcdonald.me.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2002 Report Share Posted March 24, 2002 ---Mac dons claim to have a vegan burger without the mayo,I can't see why someone would choose burgerking before macs,Are macs so much more crueller than bk? SP, In , Dr Ian McDonald <ian@m...> wrote: > I liked the article, and I agree with you. It would be easier, and not > significantly harmful, to discount trivial levels of dairy, be less > strict about being vegan ... but I expect my choices wouldn't then be > taken seriously by colleagues and friends. > > xxx_suicidal_vegan_xxx wrote: > > > > As for me, I'm feeling a bit like Moses, and perhaps you are too. > > Well, I live with someone who worships the ancient Egyptian pantheon, > just like Moses for most of his life. Does that count? . > > > I > > may not have walked around a desert for forty years, but I've been > > vegan for almost fifteen, and now I'm being denied the promised land > > of being able to eat a vegan Veggieburger at Burger King. > > Burger King is your promised land? Well, you're probably less likely to > be conquered and dispersed several times over than you are with the > biblical promised land ... > > Fingers crossed for the vegan wholewheat bun. Thanks for posting, and I > hope my smartass comments don't offend. > > -- > Ian McDonald > > http://www.mcdonald.me.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2002 Report Share Posted March 26, 2002 , Dr Ian McDonald <ian@m...> wrote: > I liked the article, and I agree with you. It would be easier, and not > significantly harmful, to discount trivial levels of dairy, be less > strict about being vegan ... but I expect my choices wouldn't then be > taken seriously by colleagues and friends. > > xxx_suicidal_vegan_xxx wrote: umm...i didn't write any of that!!!?!?! Chris X > > > > As for me, I'm feeling a bit like Moses, and perhaps you are too. > > Well, I live with someone who worships the ancient Egyptian pantheon, > just like Moses for most of his life. Does that count? . > > > I > > may not have walked around a desert for forty years, but I've been > > vegan for almost fifteen, and now I'm being denied the promised land > > of being able to eat a vegan Veggieburger at Burger King. > > Burger King is your promised land? Well, you're probably less likely to > be conquered and dispersed several times over than you are with the > biblical promised land ... > > Fingers crossed for the vegan wholewheat bun. Thanks for posting, and I > hope my smartass comments don't offend. > > -- > Ian McDonald > > http://www.mcdonald.me.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2002 Report Share Posted March 26, 2002 , " vegicate1 " <simonpjones@o...> wrote: > ---Mac dons claim to have a vegan burger without the mayo,I can't see > why someone would choose burgerking before macs, I can't see why someone would choose EITHER of them. The only way I'd pick one over the other is if I had a choice of which one to blow up first... Chris X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.