Burger King releases meatless Impossible Whopper - and it's not an April Fool's prank

Food chain partners with start up creating alternatives to meat products at popular US food chains

No, it’s not an April Fool’s trick: Burger King’s brand new Whopper burger is entirely vegetarian.

The fast food chain released a video on Monday unveiling its new “Impossible Burger” to customers who were seemingly unaware that it lacked any real meat.

Thanks to a protein inside of the burger, it appears as though it’s bleeding like a slice of beef. What’s more, it apparently even tastes like one.

“We wanted to make sure we had something that lived up to the expectations of the Whopper,” Christopher Finazzo, the company's North America president, told Reuters on Monday.

He added, “We’ve done sort of a blind taste test with our franchisees, with people in the office, with my partners on the executive team, and virtually nobody can tell the difference.”

The vegetarian patty — now sold at 59 Burger King locations in St Louis as the company considers a nationwide launch — was created by a start up called Impossible Foods, which seeks to produce plant-based alternatives to meat.

The video released Monday shows customers trying the Impossible Burger and echoing the view that a difference in its taste cannot be made when compared to the standard Burger King Whopper.

While an Impossible Burger costs nearly a dollar more than its beef counterpart, the company’s president said its customers are often willing to spend the extra money for the added health benefits, according to its research.

The vegetarian patty is currently sold at 5,000 restaurants nationwide, however there are plans for it to become a fixture at food chains across the country.

Major US chains like Red Robin and White Castle have either already began selling the Impossible Burger or have recently announced plans to provide it at their nationwide locations.