Earlier this week a Florida judge dismissed a claim brought by a group of vegan and vegetarian customers against Burger King saying the burger chain had misled diners about plant-based patties.
Judge Raag Singhal ruled in favour of Burger King by saying it had not mislead customers.
The claim was about cooking procedures and accused Burger King of implying through advertisements that it cooked plant-based patties on a separate grill to meat ones. The judge decided that no such cooking procedures were promised or implied. In his final statement he said: “Burger King promised a non-meat patty and delivered.”
Burger King’s plant-based Whopper patty in the US is produced by Impossible Foods, and CEO Pat Brown said that their products are not specifically aimed at the vegan and vegetarian dining segment, being more focused on traditional meat eating diners who want to eat healthier foods.
Burger King’s plant based burger, named The Rebel Whopper, was launched earlier this year in the UK. In our coverage of the launch and having re read it, the targeting is clear – “Burger King’s plant-based Whopper is aimed at, non-vegans who want to reduce their meat consumption for health or environmental reasons.”
Also in the launch news article it seems the legal move was anticipated as a spokesperson at the time said: “It makes absolutely no difference whether the plant-based patty is cooked separately or on the same grill as the meat.”