Burger King Puts Whopper Recipe on Wrappers to Promote the Removal of Artificial Ingredients

Image from Burger King.

Burger King is printing the ingredient list for Whopper sandwiches right on the wrapper to show they no longer have any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The burger chain aims to increase the amount of its menu without artificial ingredients from 85% currently to 100% by the start of next year, according to an announcement.

The packaging lists the Whopper ingredients as "100% flame-grilled beef, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, pickles, onions and a sesame seed bun," and also says the burger doesn't have any artificial ingredients, monosodium glutamate (MSG) or high-fructose corn syrup.

Burger King's "Whopper Recipe" campaign is the latest step in a multiyear effort to create a "clean food" menu. The move comes as younger consumers — a key target for QSRs like Burger King — continue to show a preference for food with healthier ingredients. 

More than half (57%) of millennial consumers said they follow a special diet such as Keto, Whole30, plant-based or vegan items, while 46% said they've changed their diets to be healthier, per a survey by Sweet Earth Foods, a plant-based food company owned by Nestlé. 

Additionally, the coronavirus pandemic has heightened demand for healthy eating, with organic foods seeing a 25% jump in sales in Q2, according to Nielsen data cited by Bloomberg.

Earlier this year, the burger franchise launched an integrated ad campaign that showed a vivid picture of a Whopper overgrown with blue and green mold. The creative "Moldy Whopper" campaign introduced its plans to start selling Whoppers without artificial ingredients at U.S. restaurants. The emphasis on healthy eating may also be a result of last year’s unbelievably successful Impossible Whopper launch. 

With younger consumers also favoring brands that show greater concern for the environment, Burger King recently ran a campaign to illustrate the negative effects the livestock industry has on the atmosphere. As part of the campaign, Burger King promoted a Whopper sourced from cows whose diets were designed to reduce methane.

In the past, these younger generations have been notoriously difficult to reach from a consumer angle. As COVID-19 continues to change the industry, the demand for healthy eating and organic foods is a trend that franchisors need to take seriously if they hope to succeed.