Cross Contamination? Is this an issue for you?

[Lou]

Several media outlets have reported on that Burger King's Impossible Burger is not entirely vegan because it is cooked on the same grill as the other burgers. (see below)

Burger King's new meatless Impossible Whopper isn't completely vegetarian or vegan

The chain cooks its Impossible Whoppers — which are "0% beef" — in the same broiler as its beef and chicken offerings.

www.insider.com

Burger King Just Made a Controversial Admission That's Going To Upset A Lot Of Customers

There's little worse than exciting your customers, only for them to be disappointed.

www.inc.com

 

[TofuRobot]

This poll needs a Maybe/It depends option.
I have, in the past, eaten a veggie burger grilled on the same grill as meat burgers, but given the choice, I'd prefer it not to be. I literally never go to fast food places so the issue with those doesn't affect me, though I completely understand why it would. I sometimes go to Subway and never stop to think that the surface they make my sandwich on likely was touched by animal flesh... Maybe I should ask them to clean it? I guess I'm really bad about trying not to inconvenience anyone. ?‍

Truth is, I hardly ever eat out. It's just easier knowing what's in my food and what's happened to it before it gets to my mouth. If something goes wrong, I only have myself to blame.

 

[Ger]

I hadn't considered the possibility of cross-contamination until I read Lou's post. You see, I had just assumed that the people running Burger King would have sense enough to have the Impossible Whopper fried on a separate grill. I guess not. Thanx for alerting us to this Lou.

 

[SapphireLightning]

I read something today about the issue with the impossible whopper, and it said you can request that they cook it in the oven if you are concerned about it. I will try to find that article in a bit.

As per cross contamination and me? It really depends on how much. Microscopic I am not so worried about, but if there is obvious residual matter from carnist foods, then hell no! So I would be ordering the impossible whopper oven-cooked as I know their grills are covered in animal fats etc.

ok found the link to the article I read: https://www.today.com/food/new-burger-king-impossible-whopper-isn-t-vegetarian-t160203

Quote:
For now, Burger King says it's not planning to sell the Impossible Whopper forever, and it will only be available for a limited time. For vegetarians who want to stay to a strict meat-free regiment, a spokesperson for Burger King confirmed to TODAY that guests ordering the Impossible burger in stores may ask for the patty to be cooked in the oven instead of grilled alongside other meats.

 

[mavrick45]

it's just for a limited time?

well, that's not worthy my time then.

 

[Lou]

it's just for a limited time?

well, that's not worthy my time then.

I think they are just saying that cause they don't want to make a commitment. But judging by the success, and also the fact that almost every other fast food company is trying to include a PB option, I would be surprised if it isn't something here to stay.

I had an Impossible Whopper and I thought it was just as bad as a regular whopper. So you may not want to run out and get one.

 

[Lou]

BTW, I voted No.

I can't get worked up over Cross-contamination.

But I just realized something about both these articles. They both presume that cross-contamination makes something un-vegan or less vegan. And I just don't see it that way.

Oh, sure, vegans may not want to taste animal grease on their PB burgers but that is just a preference or "taste" thing. When it comes to something being vegan or not, I always fall back to the Vegan Society's definition. Which is all about animal exploitation. Now I will entertain the argument that buying Anything from BK helps contribute to animal exploitation. But that argument rests on a pretty slippery slope. The supermarket I buy my plant milk from also sells cow's milk. I don't accept the argument that buying plant milk at a supermarket contributes to animal exploitation. (I'm pretty sure it does the opposite).

I don't accept the premise that cooking an Impossible Whopper on the same grill as a Whopper makes it less vegan.

 

[nobody]

Which is all about animal exploitation.

If it's all about animal exploitation, you are fine eating any animal products that are considered waste. Maybe someone is throwing away food containing animal products, so then it's ok to eat it. If you accidentally kill a deer with your car, it's ok to butcher and eat it, etc.

It's not about animal exploitation. It's about what you eat and what you don't. If you sometimes eat dairy/eggs/meat in certain non-exploitive situations, you are someone who occasionally eats animal products and eventually...you will buy animal products.

That has been my experience. The reason you never make any exceptions under any circumstance when it comes to food containing animal products as ingredients is that it will make you comfortable eating them and eventually you will be back to full blown omnivorism, like an ex smoker who occasionally takes a few puffs and eventually has a total relapse and is smoking a pack a day again.

Contaminated food is completely different. You can be someone who occasionally eats contaminated food and it will not lead you to eventually buy food that contains animal products as ingredients, the way occasionally eating waste dairy/eggs/meat would or the way occasionally eating backyard eggs would.

Another thing about occasionally eating dairy/eggs/meat that would otherwise go to waste is that it sends the wrong message to omnivores...that your diet or lifestyle really has no fixed rules and is completely dependent on how you decide to justify what you are doing at any given time, and I don't think eating contaminated food sends that bad message.

I had an Impossible Whopper today. It was Ok. While I was waiting for them to make it I remembered to my horror that I forgot to say 'no mayo' but I was able to remedy that before it was made.

 

[nobody]

On second thought, if you consider eating waste animal products to be engaging in animal exploitation, then ok, it's all about animal exploitation. But what it is not all about is supply and demand. Thinking in terms of supply and demand has lead me away from sticking to a vegan diet in the past.

 

[FredVegrox]

When I started with "veganism", it was a sloppy veganism. I was choosing to not knowingly get any animal product without really checking all I might that there wasn't any animal product in things I got. In truth there was financial restriction involved. I had to grow in learning more and more animal products were still in things I wanted, even if small. And I had to learn, if I really seriously wanted no involved contribution to demand for animal products, I had to find alternatives, however I could afford to do so.

Fortunately desire for meat was put behind me, even before I saw that I should be vegan. So faux meat, though I tried some, is not something I ever feel I really need, it was more useful in recipes I tried, and I don't want anything I can't distinguish from slaughtered animal flesh.

The impossible burgers such as what Burger King would have would be plant-based, IF there is request to not have it cooked on the same grill, and they are honorable enough to be trusted with that as though they cared, it is still derived with ongoing tests with use of animal flesh, so not actually vegan as such.

Sure, it is great if some will keep choosing that instead of meat from animal flesh they would have otherwise, but if we really care about no longer having contribution to use of animals with the demand for that, it wouldn't be chosen with the awareness there should be.

 

[nobody]

P.S.s I guess that was a pretty off topic comment I made but I will attempt to tie it in better by saying I don't see contamination as being problematic, the way other questionable things, like a semi-fregan attitude toward eating animal products that would otherwise go to waste was problematic for me as far as relapsing.

 

[Sax]

If it's all about animal exploitation, you are fine eating any animal products that are considered waste. Maybe someone is throwing away food containing animal products, so then it's ok to eat it. If you accidentally kill a deer with your car, it's ok to butcher and eat it, etc

Well, ethically fine with it, but no I'm not gonna eat corpses out of the garbage

 

[nobody]

it is still derived with ongoing tests with use of animal flesh, so not actually vegan as such.

I didn't know Impossible uses animal flesh for comparison purposes. I wonder if Beyond Meat does that, probably. If they do, I'm okay with it under the principle it is exploiting a few to save billions if they perfect it and make it better than real meat to the general public.

 

[nobody]

Well, ethically fine with it, but no I'm not gonna eat corpses out of the garbage

My mother used to say "we made too much and no one likes leftovers so if you don't eat it it will be thrown away." In a void that's ok ethically but in reality it leads to the dark side for me.

 

[VeggieTerrian]

I can understand why you wouldn't want to but I think the main thing for me is not contributing to the exploitation of animals. If my family/friends are having a party and they cooked me a vegan burger on the grill, I wouldn't throw a fit and demand they cleaned the part of the grill they cooked it on. Yet my grandma is the kind of person to be like oh yes it's vegan soup all vegetables. As I am eating she's like yeah broccoli,beans,carrots, chicken stock. WTH grandma CHICKEN STOCK. Please stop trying I don't need to eat when visiting,
If I am cooking at home I wouldn't use a pan that my partner used for fish. I guess my standards are lower when eating out, compared to at home but I don't like eating out unless specifically a vegan restaurant.

 

[ThaiVegan]

no problem with so called contamination. i am vegan bc i want to live and promote an animal friendly lifestyle, i am not vegan to become a Saint.
I occasionally eat in non vegan restaurants and i order the cook to make a vegan meal according to my insyructions. This way i can eat vegan more easily (to eat vegan at only vegan places is not practical) AND by casually talking about veg food with the cook, i imagine i promote and normalize vegan food in non veg places and with non veg ppl. so for sure the cooking utensils have been used for non veg food, and will be used for my veg food.
Contamination just means that, a possible few tiny molecules. lol. On the other hand a vegan burger fried in oil used for meat, i dont consider that contamination but simply a burger that was vegan and now soaked with meat juices. i wouldnt eat it i would get sick to eat such a disgusting burger.lol.

 

[Lou]

Here is something in the news today.

OPINION: Impossible To Please? Cross-Contamination Is The Least Of Our Worries

Cross-contaminated food is not vegan in some countries, by law. But ethically are there bigger fish (and patties) to fry?

www.plantbasednews.org

I felt the article was pretty good.

Here are a few nuggets.

"Cross-contamination, while understandably off-putting, doesn't actually contribute towards animal cruelty. It doesn't perpetuate the demand for animal products, and it shouldn't make you any less of a vegan. "

"Ashley Byrne, a campaign director for PETA, hits the nail on the head.
'It's really not about the personal purity of what the products are being cooked next to,' Byrne states.
'People are choosing vegan options because they care about animals and the environment. We think that these benefits really override any concerns about cross-contamination.'

"This kind of response has the potential to put companies off creating plant-based products in fear of criticism and further estranges veganism as a feasible and accessible lifestyle."

 

[ThaiVegan]

Veganism is all about avoiding animal cruelty in yr daily life. Its a practical lifestyle, veganism isnt a path to Sainthood. Veganism is the choiches you make in the supermarket. Veganism isnt about "cross contamination" or "how can we avoid killing ants when we walk" nor "white sugar is not vegan!". Veganism is about the cruelty in slaughterhouses and fur industry and animal experiments. These are also issues that ordinary ppl actually relate to.

 

[LoCo]

I really try to not let it bother me. I can completely understand when it does upset people though! I really just try not to think to hard about it.

 

[TofuRobot]

Contamination just means that, a possible few tiny molecules. lol.

Actually, cross contamination can give you food poisoning. All any food scientist, or just Google it. That said, most incidences of food poisoning occur in the home, not in restaurants.