Following thru on their comittment to expand their plant-based options, Starbucks announced this week that they are set to deliver the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich.
Now vegans beware. Starbuck’s Impossible Breakfast Sandwich is not vegan made-to-order. So it will not only come into contact with animal based products, it will also be topped with dairy based cheese and animal-derived eggs. So vegans will have to request that they hold the cheese and egg.
While they still have a ways to go to being vegan-perfect, Starbucks is making great strides to do so by expanding their menu in response to customer requests. In fact, according to Michael Kobori, chief sustainability officer at Starbucks, “Starbucks aspiration is to become resource positive. This aspiration, coupled with the insight that our customers are looking for more plant-based choices, has inspired the development of exciting and delicious plant-based beverages and food.”
Over the past few years Starbucks has been becoming increasingly more inclusive. We first saw hearty oatmeal and a variety of certified vegan bagels added to the menu. We later saw the addition of several non-dairy drinks ranging from the new Star Drink, Cold Brew with Cinnamon Almondmilk Foam, as well as the Coconutmilk Cascara Latte to the Iced Pineapple Matcha Drink. Now Starbucks promises to expand oatmilk regionally in 2020.
In Canada, Starbucks has expanded its breakfast menu with the addition of the Beyond Meat, Cheddar and Egg Breakfast Sandwich. Meanwhile, in China Starbucks joined forces with plant-based innovators, Beyond Meat and Oatly. In the U.S. Starbucks will add its first vegan cold foam, made with almond milk, to its core menu allowing customers to add the new option to a variety of drinks.
It seems that Starbucks is well on track to take advantage of the growing plant-based trends. According to the Plant Based Foods Association and The Good Food Institute, the U.S. plant-based retail market has grown 29 percent in the past two years to $5 billion. Driving this growth is customer interest in plant-based milk, which accounts for 40 percent of the total plant-based food market and plant-based meat.
It will be interesting to see what other plant-based menu items Starbucks comes up with. In the meantime, it’s exciting to know that we now have so many options now to try.
Have you tried Starbucks Impossible Breakfast Sandwich? How was it?
