April 03, 2019, 09:17 PM 
You might recall the Impossible meatless, plant-based "meat" that recently rolled out at several food establishments in Singapore:
Now imagine this, but at a fast-food joint.
That's what's happening with Burger King in the U.S., which rolled out on a trial basis the Impossible Whopper on April 1, 2019, at 59 of its outlets in St. Louis, Missouri.
And it's not an April Fool's joke.
Photo from Burger King, Youtube
According to Vox, the burger is the result of a collaboration between the fast food giant and Impossible Foods.
And it isn't as expensive as one might expect: the Impossible Whopper costs a dollar more than the normal beef Whopper, according to a Channel NewsAsia report.
If it's well-received in St. Louis, it will reportedly be extended to all of Burger King's 7,200 outlets across the U.S..
One thing to note, however, is the burger is not vegan, but vegetarian. The Impossible Whopper is still served with a dollop of mayonnaise (which is not vegan because it's made using eggs), like the regular Whopper.
Even BK employees couldn't tell the difference
Good news is, for those of you who haven't tried Impossible "meat" in Singapore yet, the Impossible Whopper tastes exactly the same as a regular Whopper, Burger King claims.
In a video posted on YouTube to promote the Impossible Whopper, various patrons' reactions to the burger was filmed.
Only after finishing the burger were these patrons told that instead of beef, they had eaten plants.
Understandably, there was much shock, awe and scepticism.
You can see their reactions here:
In a round of company testing, Burger King employees themselves were reportedly unable to tell the difference between the Impossible and the regular.
More about meatless meat
The Impossible Foods plant-based "meat" is made from a protein called heme, which can be found in soy. Heme is what gives the patty its meaty taste, bloody look and convincing texture.
If you're still unconvinced, here's an honest review by one of our resident self-professed carnivores:
It's got environmental implications, too
And the fact that this is going mainstream is a pretty big deal.
Not only do patrons, specifically vegetarians, now have an effective burger option, the Impossible Whopper can also help reduce humans' environmental impact.As much as beef is sinful and heavenly on the tastebuds, it also happens to be the biggest food contributor to climate change, according to a report by the U.S. National Resources Defense Council.
Producing one kilogram of beef emits 26kg of carbon dioxide, five times more than chicken.
Cows also burp and fart methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent in heat-trapping than carbon dioxide.
Should Burger King roll out the Impossible Whopper across all its outlets in the U.S., more of these plant-based meats could make their way onto diners' plates, and such environmentally-friendly food products might become the norm.
There could potentially be a significant decrease in meat consumption nationwide, especially if other large restaurant chains hop on the bandwagon.
Other precedents in the U.S.
Burger King is not the first fast food joint to serve up plant-based products.
In September 2018, White Castle, another American burger chain, partnered with Impossible Foods to produce meatless Impossible Sliders.
Each slider costs US$1.99 and is available at 140 locations.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuKSBmRHZwt/
Carl's Jr also added a meatless burger to its menu in January 2019, after collaborating with another plant-based meat company called Beyond Meat.
Nevertheless, with Burger King's wide reach and popularity, it will undoubtedly be the first fast food chain to make plant-based meat scalable and affordable.
Truly making the impossible possible.
Top photo from Burger King, Youtube
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