[100% veg*n ] burger king veggie burger not vegan, nor bun

[Guest guest]

thank goodness. what a horrible idea... vegans in burger king. who needs

that kind of 'choice'

vegans should learn to cook and eat real food. the longer we are denied

'fast food' the better.

the easy it gets to be vegan, the more junk processed convenience food that

is made available to us, the less we have to learn, the less we are

challenged and more we conform. many of the health benefits, environmental

benefits and ethical benefits of a vegan diet are lost when we eat

processed food.

 

long live poor provision for vegans - long live vegans

 

ben

 

 

 

At 12:34 PM 3/20/02 -0500, you wrote:

>by Erik Marcus at Vegan.com

>

>I have some not-so-great news to report. Fortunately, since I'm

>publishing this online, I don't have to worry about anyone shooting

>the messenger. Today, more than 8300 Burger Kings across the United

>States launch their VeggieBurger. When this burger was first

>announced a few months ago, it was supposed to be a vegan product.

>Well, it's not.

>

>I found out a few days ago that the burger was about to be launched,

>so I put in a call to Burger King's headquarters. I was initially

>told that the default burger would be unacceptable to vegans, but

>could be prepared vegan if the customer made two requests. The reason

>the default burger wasn't vegan, I was told, is that it contains low-

>fat mayonnaise, and is cooked on the same grill on which Burger King

>cooks its regular beef burgers.

>

>However, it's easy to get around these two issues. Anyone who goes to

>a Burger King can ask that the burger patty be microwaved. That way,

>it won't come in contact with cooking surfaces that are used all day

>long to cook beef. This microwave option is available at every Burger

>King, and I was told that all franchises have been asked to make this

>option available for vegetarians who request it.

>

>The mayonnaise problem is even easier to handle. You can just them to

>hold the mayo, and they will honor your request.

>

>During my conversation with a company spokeswoman, she asked if I

>would like an ingredient listing. I gave her my email address, and in

>five minutes I had her email in my in-box. When I scrolled down to

>the bun ingredients, here's what I saw (I've set the offending

>ingredient in boldface):

>

>ENRICHED FLOUR (NIACIN, IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, AND

>FOLIC ACID), WATER, SUGAR, (SUCROSE OR HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP),

>VEGETABLE SHORTENING, YEAST, SALT, WHEAT GLUTEN, SESAME SEEDS,

>NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BUTTER FLAVOR, YEAST FOOD (CALCIUM SULFATE,

>POTASSIUM IODATE, AND/OR AMMONIUM SULFATE), DOUGH CONDITIONERS

>(POLYSORBATE 60, CALCIUM PEROXIDE [OXIDANT], CALCIUM SALTS, SULFATES,

>PHOSPHATES, AND AMMONIUM SALTS), DOUGH STRENGTHENERS (SODIUM AND/OR

>CALCIUM-2-STEAROYL LACTYLATE OR ETHOXYLATED MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES),

>DOUGH SOFTENERS (MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, AND/OR PROTEASE ENZYME).

>MOLD INHIBITOR (CALCIUM PROPIONATE), PRESERVATIVE (POTASSIUM

>SORBATE), OXIDATION REDUCTION ADDITIVES (ASCORBIC ACID,

>POTASSIUM/CALCIUM IODATE, ALPHA-AMYLASE, AZODICARBONAMIDE), LEAVENING

>AGENT (MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE).

>

>I then exchanged a couple more emails with her, which established

>that this butter flavor is dairy-derived. Now, I can cheerfully eat a

>burger without mayonnaise, but it's pretty difficult to eat one

>without the bun.

>

>What Went Wrong?

>

>When news of Burger King's Veggieburger first came out a few months

>ago, it was widely reported that the burger would be entirely vegan.

>It was also reported that the burger would come on a vegan whole

>wheat bun. I don't know this for sure, but I bet what happened is

>that, somewhere along the line, some official at Burger King decided

>that the regular white bun would be good enough. Maybe the whole

>wheat bun would take extra time to develop, or maybe they just

>decided it wasn't worth carrying an extra bun item in inventory.

>

>So where does this leave vegans? It's worth bearing in mind that the

>amount of dairy in this bun is incredibly tiny. The bun has more

>sesame seeds than dairy, and it even contains more salt than dairy.

>Even though the amount of dairy is tiny, I personally wouldn't feel

>right eating this product. After all, it's not vegan.

>

>Even though I'm disappointed, I will still strongly urge my non-

>vegetarian friends to give this product a try. This product may not

>be suitable for vegans, but it could still do more to help farm

>animals than any product that has ever come to market. For the first

>time ever, you can walk into a fast-food establishment and order a

>burger that is, for all practical purposes, vegan.

>

>I think it's extremely important that vegans take as much advantage

>of this product as possible, in terms of letting the non-vegetarian

>world know about its launch. Probably the main reason people don't

>become vegetarian is the fear of reduced food choices and

>inconvenience. Now, for the first time, you can walk into any Burger

>King and order a burger just like anybody else—and what you'll get

>will be totally vegetarian and nearly vegan. I know that, back when I

>was contemplating going vegetarian, the decision would have been a

>snap if I knew I could still eat at Burger King.

>

>As for me, I'm feeling a bit like Moses, and perhaps you are too. I

>may not have walked around a desert for forty years, but I've been

>vegan for almost fifteen, and now I'm being denied the promised land

>of being able to eat a vegan Veggieburger at Burger King. As

>disappointed as I am that I won't personally get to try this product,

>I hope the Burger King Veggieburger not only succeeds, but that it's

>a smash-hit product. If it does succeed, you can count on McDonald's

>and Wendy's rushing similar products to market. Such an event would

>mark the biggest step forward for America's farm animals in history.

>

>And maybe one day, Burger King will introduce that long-awaited vegan

>whole wheat bun. With the launch of BK's Veggieburger, we vegans have

>some reason to feel let down. But this launch is also a sure sign

>that we're making progress.

>

>

>

>To to the Digest Mode [ recommended ], send an email to:

>vegan-network-digest

>

>

[Guest guest]

thats why you europeans have the whole " slow food movement " ..which has yet to

catch on here in the colonies yet...

 

 

Ben <ben wrote:

 

>thank goodness. what a horrible idea... vegans in burger king. who needs

>that kind of 'choice'

>vegans should learn to cook and eat real food. the longer we are denied

>'fast food' the better.

>the easy it gets to be vegan, the more junk processed convenience food that

>is made available to us, the less we have to learn, the less we are

>challenged and more we conform. many of the health benefits, environmental

>benefits and ethical benefits of a vegan diet are lost when we eat

>processed food.

>

>long live poor provision for vegans - long live vegans

>

>ben

>

>

>

>At 12:34 PM 3/20/02 -0500, you wrote:

>>by Erik Marcus at Vegan.com

>>

>>I have some not-so-great news to report. Fortunately, since I'm

>>publishing this online, I don't have to worry about anyone shooting

>>the messenger. Today, more than 8300 Burger Kings across the United

>>States launch their VeggieBurger. When this burger was first

>>announced a few months ago, it was supposed to be a vegan product.

>>Well, it's not.

>>

>>I found out a few days ago that the burger was about to be launched,

>>so I put in a call to Burger King's headquarters. I was initially

>>told that the default burger would be unacceptable to vegans, but

>>could be prepared vegan if the customer made two requests. The reason

>>the default burger wasn't vegan, I was told, is that it contains low-

>>fat mayonnaise, and is cooked on the same grill on which Burger King

>>cooks its regular beef burgers.

>>

>>However, it's easy to get around these two issues. Anyone who goes to

>>a Burger King can ask that the burger patty be microwaved. That way,

>>it won't come in contact with cooking surfaces that are used all day

>>long to cook beef. This microwave option is available at every Burger

>>King, and I was told that all franchises have been asked to make this

>>option available for vegetarians who request it.

>>

>>The mayonnaise problem is even easier to handle. You can just them to

>>hold the mayo, and they will honor your request.

>>

>>During my conversation with a company spokeswoman, she asked if I

>>would like an ingredient listing. I gave her my email address, and in

>>five minutes I had her email in my in-box. When I scrolled down to

>>the bun ingredients, here's what I saw (I've set the offending

>>ingredient in boldface):

>>

>>ENRICHED FLOUR (NIACIN, IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, AND

>>FOLIC ACID), WATER, SUGAR, (SUCROSE OR HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP),

>>VEGETABLE SHORTENING, YEAST, SALT, WHEAT GLUTEN, SESAME SEEDS,

>>NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BUTTER FLAVOR, YEAST FOOD (CALCIUM SULFATE,

>>POTASSIUM IODATE, AND/OR AMMONIUM SULFATE), DOUGH CONDITIONERS

>>(POLYSORBATE 60, CALCIUM PEROXIDE [OXIDANT], CALCIUM SALTS, SULFATES,

>>PHOSPHATES, AND AMMONIUM SALTS), DOUGH STRENGTHENERS (SODIUM AND/OR

>>CALCIUM-2-STEAROYL LACTYLATE OR ETHOXYLATED MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES),

>>DOUGH SOFTENERS (MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, AND/OR PROTEASE ENZYME).

>>MOLD INHIBITOR (CALCIUM PROPIONATE), PRESERVATIVE (POTASSIUM

>>SORBATE), OXIDATION REDUCTION ADDITIVES (ASCORBIC ACID,

>>POTASSIUM/CALCIUM IODATE, ALPHA-AMYLASE, AZODICARBONAMIDE), LEAVENING

>>AGENT (MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE).

>>

>>I then exchanged a couple more emails with her, which established

>>that this butter flavor is dairy-derived. Now, I can cheerfully eat a

>>burger without mayonnaise, but it's pretty difficult to eat one

>>without the bun.

>>

>>What Went Wrong?

>>

>>When news of Burger King's Veggieburger first came out a few months

>>ago, it was widely reported that the burger would be entirely vegan.

>>It was also reported that the burger would come on a vegan whole

>>wheat bun. I don't know this for sure, but I bet what happened is

>>that, somewhere along the line, some official at Burger King decided

>>that the regular white bun would be good enough. Maybe the whole

>>wheat bun would take extra time to develop, or maybe they just

>>decided it wasn't worth carrying an extra bun item in inventory.

>>

>>So where does this leave vegans? It's worth bearing in mind that the

>>amount of dairy in this bun is incredibly tiny. The bun has more

>>sesame seeds than dairy, and it even contains more salt than dairy.

>>Even though the amount of dairy is tiny, I personally wouldn't feel

>>right eating this product. After all, it's not vegan.

>>

>>Even though I'm disappointed, I will still strongly urge my non-

>>vegetarian friends to give this product a try. This product may not

>>be suitable for vegans, but it could still do more to help farm

>>animals than any product that has ever come to market. For the first

>>time ever, you can walk into a fast-food establishment and order a

>>burger that is, for all practical purposes, vegan.

>>

>>I think it's extremely important that vegans take as much advantage

>>of this product as possible, in terms of letting the non-vegetarian

>>world know about its launch. Probably the main reason people don't

>>become vegetarian is the fear of reduced food choices and

>>inconvenience. Now, for the first time, you can walk into any Burger

>>King and order a burger just like anybody else—and what you'll get

>>will be totally vegetarian and nearly vegan. I know that, back when I

>>was contemplating going vegetarian, the decision would have been a

>>snap if I knew I could still eat at Burger King.

>>

>>As for me, I'm feeling a bit like Moses, and perhaps you are too. I

>>may not have walked around a desert for forty years, but I've been

>>vegan for almost fifteen, and now I'm being denied the promised land

>>of being able to eat a vegan Veggieburger at Burger King. As

>>disappointed as I am that I won't personally get to try this product,

>>I hope the Burger King Veggieburger not only succeeds, but that it's

>>a smash-hit product. If it does succeed, you can count on McDonald's

>>and Wendy's rushing similar products to market. Such an event would

>>mark the biggest step forward for America's farm animals in history.

>>

>>And maybe one day, Burger King will introduce that long-awaited vegan

>>whole wheat bun. With the launch of BK's Veggieburger, we vegans have

>>some reason to feel let down. But this launch is also a sure sign

>>that we're making progress.

>>

>>

>>

>>To to the Digest Mode [ recommended ], send an email to:

>>vegan-network-digest

>>

>>