Burger King launches the Vegan Royale burger and Plant-Based Whopper

Burger King app-users can also benefit from offers on plant-based products as part of their Meat Free Monday initiative

The new Vegan Society approved Vegan Royale (Burger King)

Burger King has launched a new Vegan Royale to compete with the classic chicken burger.

The new plant-based product consists of a crispy coated, meat-free ‘chicken’, topped with iceberg lettuce, vegan mayonnaise and a toasted sesame bun.

Strict cooking processes, that ensure the Vegan Royale is kept completely separate from meat and dairy products, have earned the new burger Vegan Society certification.

Burger King’s fries are also now certified by the Vegan Society, meaning it can offer a completely vegan meal deal for £6.79.

The popular fast-food brand hasn’t stopped there, however. A new Plant-Based Whopper is now also available for UK diners, consisting of a flame-grilled, soy-based patty, topped with tomatoes, fresh cut lettuce, vegan mayonnaise, pickles, ketchup and sliced onions on a sesame bun.

The new vegetarian Whopper is priced at £4.79, while a meal is £6.79.

The plant based Whopper also launches today (Burger King)

Users of the Burger King app can also benefit from the burger chain’s new Meat Free Monday initiative, which offers discounts on plant-based products, with the new Whopper available for just £1.99, while the Vegan Royale is just £2.49.

Ericka Durgahee, marketing manager at The Vegan Society said: “We’re delighted to be working closely with Burger King.

“It’s fantastic to see that not only are they expanding their range to cater to vegan customers, but are going above and beyond by offering them delicious options that have been certified by the highly-trusted and sought-after Vegan Trademark.

“Customers can rest assured that when they order items displaying the Vegan Trademark they’re free from animal products and animal testing and that cross-contamination has been minimised.”

Soco Nunez, marketing director of Burger King UK said, “At Burger King UK we’re all about delivering great tasting food for our customers, so we’ve purposefully taken our time with the Vegan Royale to make sure it’s the best on the market. In fact, we would go as far as to say it’s an identical taste experience to the original Chicken Royale.”

In August 2020, a survey commissioned by Veganuary found that a third of people in the UK were eating more vegan food as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, primarily in a bid to be healthier.

Veganuary challenges participants to go vegan throughout the month of January and beyond.

The organisation announced a record-breaking 582,000 participants in this year’s challenge with a majority (85 per cent) planning to make permanent dietary changes moving forward.

A review published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that vegetarian diets were associated with lower blood pressure compared with omnivorous diets.

And a study in the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology found that consuming a diet that is mostly or exclusively vegan can be beneficial for both the prevention and treatment of hypertension.