Burger King to Launch Plant-Based Nuggets, as CEO Says, “We are all in.”

Burger King is launching yet another plant-based option, ‘chicken’ nuggets in select Germany locations on September 1st and the CEO says the chain is planning to go "all in" on plant-based offerings globally.

Burger King chose The Vegetarian Butcher because its plant-based chicken nugget maintain the crispy taste Burger King is known for, according to a statement from the chain. The company said the plant-based nuggets will be prepared in the same fryer as meat options so vegans should be aware of that since they had issues with the Impossible Whopper being cooked on the same grill as meat.

However, the Fresenius Institute has tested the nuggets and claims that after being prepared on the same equipment as meat, the plant-based nuggets "do not contain animal products or traces of them after frying."

These plant-based nuggets are made by The Vegetarian Butcher based in Germany. “The Nuggets are soft and meat-like on the inside, crispy and golden on the outside," says CEO Hugo Verkuil.  They offer "a delicious vegetable-based alternative for all meat lovers who want to reduce their meat consumption.”

Burger King is increasing plant-based offerings in response to demand from consumers who want more plant-based options. In the U.S. Burger King has seen success with both its Impossible Whopper and the Impossible Croissan'wich, which are both popular plant-based meats but are not considered strictly vegan (since the cheese and fixings on the Whopper contain mayo and the Crossan'wich is made with butter). Still, the addition of plant-based options is only expected to grow in the US and worldwide as consumers embrace the trend.

“I think [the Impossible Whopper is] just the beginning," Burger King's CEO, Jose Cil, told Yahoo Finance: "We are leading not just in the U.S. but globally, and we think there is a lot of work to do still in terms of raising awareness." He added that the chain is expanding to be able to offer "some different products as well as occasions so that the consumer could expand their knowledge of the product." Cil added, "We are all in.”

By creating plant-based nuggets that resemble the taste and flavor of its meat products hopefully, they will continue to add plant-based options to its menu that will even inspire meat-eaters to try plant-based foods. Burger King following the trend of plant-based fast food will encourage other fast food restaurant chains to do the same.