Vegan man sues Burger King claiming meatless burger is cooked on same grill as meat

[left-of-center2012]

A man is suing Burger King because the meatless Impossible Whopper is cooked on the same grill as meat products, the lawsuit alleges. The class action lawsuit, filed Monday in the Southern District of Florida, claims that although the burger chain advertises its vegan option as meat-free, it is contaminated by meat by-product because it's cooked on the same grill as meat products.

The suit accuses Burger King of false advertising and benefiting monetarily from offering a vegan option that is not in fact vegan. Burger King declined to comment to several media outlets. CNN's sister network HLN has reached out to Burger King for a response to the allegations in the lawsuit but has not yet heard back.

The class action lawsuit, filed Monday in the Southern District of Florida, claims that although the burger chain advertises its vegan option as meat-free, it is contaminated by meat by-product because it's cooked on the same grill as meat products. The suit accuses Burger King of false advertising and benefiting monetarily from offering a vegan option that is not in fact vegan.

Phillip Williams, the plaintiff in the case, is a vegan who does not eat or drink anything that uses animal by-products. Williams "suffered monetary damages in the amount that he paid for the purchase" the Impossible Whopper, according to the suit.

https://www.koat.com/article/vegan-man-sues-burger-king-claiming-meatless-burger-is-cooked-on-same-grill-as-meat/29839098

[mucifer]

1. There are a few vegans who do stupid crap and it always goes viral Just about everyone

in the vegan community is against the lawsuit.

Just want you guys to know that.

[left-of-center2012]

3. "Just about everyone in the vegan community is against the lawsuit."

How do you know that?

[mucifer]

4. people I talk with message boards etc. People are upset about the lawsuit existing

[mopinko]

6. would seem like an issue most vegans would be on top of.

[mucifer]

8. Yes, I for example just don't go to burger king and buy it. That said I am glad it exists and less

cows are eaten. Lots of vegans ask them to cook it in the microwave which burger king will do.
Other vegans don't care about the cross contamination knowing they ordered an animal free burger.

[Jirel]

18. Exactly.

I'm an omnivore. I tend to eat vegetarian a lot, though, because it makes sense and it's yummy. Idiots like this guy are making it harder to get meatless options, and give people less incentive to ever give them a try.

[jberryhill]

2. They disclose that, however

[Bettie]

5. That was never a secret

and he could have also asked at the counter before ordering. Idiot.

[beachbumbob]

7. People who have nothing else going on in their lives do this stuff.

Surprise this person doesn't include the freezer or refrigerator the patties co-habitat in.

[Jirel]

19. Or the surfaces on which it's prepped.

Not to mention the same people are handling the various patties, the mayo isn't vegan, etc.

[beachbumbob]

21. this behavior, to me, smacks of a sense of entitlement.

[Celerity]

24. FDA Says Vegan Mayonnaise Can't Be Called Mayo

https://time.com/4009893/hampton-creek-just-mayo-vegan-egg/

AUGUST 25, 2015

Vegan mayonnaise—which by definition doesn’t contain eggs—can’t be marketed as mayonnaise, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Hampton Creek Foods, Inc., a health foods company whose best known product is a vegan, egg-free mayonnaise called Just Mayo, was sent a warning letter from the FDA on Aug. 12.

“According to the standard of identity for mayonnaise, egg is a required ingredient,” said the letter, which was released Tuesday and was signed by William A. Cornell, Jr., the FDA’s director of the office of compliance. “[H]owever, based on the ingredient information on the labels, these products do not contain eggs. We also note that these products contain additional ingredients that are not permitted by the standard, such as modified food starch, pea protein, and beta-carotene, which may be used to impart color simulating egg yolk. Therefore, these products do not conform to the standard for mayonnaise.”

The FDA requires that a product calling itself “mayonnaise” contain at least 65% vegetable oil and have one or more “egg yolk-containing” ingredients. The “egg” of Hampton Creek’s Just Mayo—and Just Mayo Sriracha, which was also cited in the warning letter—is actually a byproduct of Canadian yellow pea and has fast become a popular product on grocery store shelves across the country, TIME reported last year. The company boasts investors that read like the who’s who of the tech world: Bill Gates, Peter Theil and Vinod Khosla all back the San Francisco-based company.

But in November 2014, Unilever—which owns Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise—filed a lawsuit against Hampton Creek, arguing the lack of eggs in its Just Mayo disqualifies the product from being classified as a mayonnaise. Unilever dropped the suit less than a month later, with a company spokesperson saying in a statement, “We believe Hampton Creek will take the appropriate steps in labeling its products going forward.”

snip

lots of links in the article

[RhodeIslandOne]

9. Here's your five bucks back.

Sheesh

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. A person who is opposed to eating meat probably shouldn't eat at a place

that mostly specializes in meat. Isn't he aiding and abetting the consumption of meat by buying something from a vendor of meat, even if he doesn't buy meat himself?

[IcyPeas]

13. this is also what I think

I am a vegetarian (not a vegan) but I never ever step foot in a fast forward place. Even in other restaurants that offer veggie burger on the menu, I always assume it's cooked on the same grill as regular burgers.

So I both get the guy's message about vegan burgers being cooked on the same grill, and that he shouldn't be in a Burger King if he is a vegan. So I think the lawsuit is wrong. and maybe burger king should have an asterisk on the veggie burger that it's cooked on the same grill (just to avoid confusion)

☮️

[Jirel]

20. They offer an option where it's not cooked on the same grill.

It's probably a microwave, but there it is. Either way, prep surfaces, handling, etc. are all going to "contaminate" the veggie patty to some degree.

[beachbumbob]

22. so obvious right?

[Codeine]

11. Come on, dude.

Don’t fuck shit up for the rest of us who just want a vegan fast food option. I hope this guy gets nothing and then has to pay court fees.

[Cartoonist]

12. That's what he thinks

Phillip Williams, the plaintiff in the case, is a vegan who does not eat or drink anything that uses animal by-products.
_

Everytime he drinks a glass of water he is consuming millions of microscopic animals.

[maxsolomon]

14. He's got a point.

They wouldn't offer a kosher option cooked on a non-kosher grill.

BK probably didn't think this all the way through; should have had some disclaimers on the menu. "Beyond Meat burgers may contain (little crumbly carbonized bits of) meat".

[Ms. Toad]

17. I'm pretty sure it is disclosed.

My recollection is that they even offered advice about how to avoid that contamination (although I can't find it now - since this lawsuit is all that comes up for pages and pages).

[Mendocino]

15. I had an Impossible Burger

at BK once. They offer to cook in a microwave rather than a broiler and you can get out without mayo.

[tishaLA]

26. Same at Caarl's Jr.

they ask about all of that, including whether you want cheese or not.

[Beakybird]

16. I won't eat anything cross contaminated by human contact. I'm a strict non-cannibal!

[TidalWave46]

23. Stupid is stupid. NT

[Kaleva]

25. If one is worried about cross contamination, the prudent thing to do would be to ask first.

[renate]

27. Clearly I'm in the minority, but I can see why a vegan would be genuinely distressed

I’m a vegetarian but not a vegan; I would prefer that it not be cooked on the same grill as meat, but it’s no big deal.

But there are people who are honestly repelled by the idea of eating bits of flesh and fat from a dead animal. If it’s not clear that cross contamination is possible, Burger King really should address that. Not to mention that people of certain religious faiths aren’t supposed to consume beef or any animal flesh. It’s not a trivial concern.