Helping the Planet, One Burger at a Time
Chef Rob Morasco didn’t set out to make a planet-friendly burger.
But the 25 percent mushroom burger he created at food service company Sodexo not only has a lower carbon footprint, it’s also lower in calories, fat and salt. It’s juicier, too.
Mushroom-blended burgers have started to become popular among both chefs and environmentalists. In March, Sonic Drive-In became the first fast-food chain to offer them.
Americans eat about 10 billion hamburgers each year, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI).
All those burgers take a toll on the planet. Beef is “the most resource-intensive food that we commonly eat,” Richard Waite of WRI said. It accounts for about half the greenhouse gases produced by the American diet, he added.
WRI estimates that if every burger in America were blended with mushrooms, the greenhouse-gas savings would be like taking more than 2 million cars off the road.
Demand for meatless meals is growing along with rising health and environmental concerns. There are bean burgers, soy burgers, veggie burgers, and so on.
But it’s a limited market.
“The veggie burgers [appeal] to folks who identify as vegetarian or vegan, or actively want to be eating less meat,” Waite said. On the other hand, blended burgers appeal to “someone who really loves meat,” he added. “This is potentially a dish that could have broad mainstream appeal and also pretty big environmental benefits.”
