Swedish fast-food chain Max Burgers recently created its own vegan beef burger to improve its impact on the environment. The plant-based option will be available at all of its restaurants in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
The vegan beef is designed to look, cook, and taste like meat but is made without the use of animal products, instead opting for texturized soy and wheat protein. “The initiative is a big step forward in MAX’s work to reduce its climate impact – without backing down on taste and quality,” the company wrote in a press release.
Max Burgers’ head chef Jonas Mårtensson spent three and a half years developing the low-carbon product, which is called “Delifresh Plant Beef.”
“Work towards the goal of being able to offer our guests a plant-based meat substitute began in earnest when we launched the first part of the Green Family in January of 2016,” said Mårtensson in a statement.
“We started the search for an option that would fit MAX’s menu, but quickly realized that none of the products we found could meet our tough requirements for really good taste. So we decided to develop our own plant-based burger for meat lovers. For me the proof of our success was when my meat-loving son couldn’t feel a difference,” he added.
Claes Petersson, Vice President/Chief Innovation & Development Officer at MAX burgers, commented, “the protein of the future is on its way, and the front-runner is made by us here in Sweden. Our goal is for all the carnivores to feel like they can still have a really great hamburger without it actually being meat.”
Diners will be able to swap our conventional beef in favor of the Delifresh Plant Beef patty on all of Max Burgers’ Grand Deluxe options. Its campaign burger, Spicy Avocado, will also be available with the vegan meat.
Max Burgers and the Environment
As one of Sweden’s leading food chains, Max Burgers has not shied away from its environmental responsibilities.
The fast-food company believes that in order to keep global warming below two degrees, it cannot be “climate neutral.” Instead, it aims for its burgers to be climate positive, with “every single bite” helping the planet. It measures all of its product emissions — including waste and travel to and from restaurants — and displays CO2e branding on its menu items to allow customers to choose environmentally friendly food.
The fast-food company aims for 50 percent of its meals sold to be made of something other than red meat before the year 2022. Sales are currently around 40 percent.
