Burger King/Starbucks Petition

The results:

Burger King Impossible brand burger and Starbucks Impossible brand sausage breakfast sandwich had nearly twice the levels of glyphosate as meat counterparts. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world and it is a carcinogen (cancer-causing) anti-nutrient (one that binds to essential vitamins and minerals).

In past testing (2019) of Impossible Foods, Moms Across America showed that Impossible Foods burger contained high levels of glyphosate. Why? Because glyphosate is copiously sprayed on GMO soy (used in Impossible foods) as a weed killer and as a drying agent. GMO soy is a main ingredient in the Impossible Foods burger. The main ingredient of the Beyond Meat burger is non GMO peas. The Impossible Foods fake meat is being marketed as “good for you,” when in fact 11 parts per billion (ppb) of glyphosate herbicide consumption can be highly dangerous in a serving. Only 0.1 ppb of glyphosate has been shown to alter the gene function of over 4000 genes in the livers, kidneys and cause severe organ damage in rats.

We at Moms Across America are gravely concerned that consumers are being misled to believe the Burger King Impossible Burger and Starbuck’s Impossible Sausage Breakfast Sandwich are a better option than meat or possibly even more healthy, and we implore you to stop using these products. Clearly have nearly 2-11 times the amount of glyphosate as meat or vegetarian counterparts is not healthier, and not even remotely safe.

In addition to the glyphosate contaminant acting as a nutrient chelator (binding essential vitamins and minerals), fewer nutrients found in the plant proteins used to create meat alternatives, such as soybeans, are less accessible by human cells compared to real animal proteins, revealed a July 2022 study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

Consumers who buy “plant-based” proteins typically cite health and nutrition as one of the top considerations for consumption, however recent research has debunked many of the segment’s nutrition claims.

In our most recent fast food testing project, Burger King samples, including two Quarter Pounders and 3 Impossible Burgers, contained 71.13 ppb of glyphosate per serving and, consistent with our 2019 findings, the Impossible Burger had approximately twice as much glyphosate as the Quarter Pounder (with real beef).

The Starbucks Impossible breakfast sandwiches contained 83.65 ppb of glyphosate. Again, the product with Impossible brand soy had approximately double the glyphosate than the Starbucks sample without it.

The Impossible Burger’s GMO soy has been shown to cause organ damage in animal studies and has been shown to be significantly different from non-GMO soy. The GM ingredients of the Impossible Burger, which includes a genetically modified yeast and GM soy leghemoglobin proteins, 46 of which are undisclosed and untested, are even more concerning to many consumers than the long-term health effects from glyphosate because of the reported immediate allergic reaction potential, which is acknowledged by the manufacturer. The part of the genetically modified soy used in the Impossible Burger has never before been allowed in the human food supply and has not been properly safety tested.

Although the leghemoglobin soy is claimed to be “identical to soy heme which has been consumed for thousands of years”, the following question posed by Consumers Report’s Michael Hansen has never been answered: “How could the heme in the Impossible Burger be 'identical' to the heme humans have been consuming for hundreds of thousands of years in meat and other foods if you genetically engineered it?”

Glyphosate herbicides have not only been proven to be carcinogenic, but they are also neurotoxic, endocrine disrupting, cause DNA damage and liver disease at ultra-low levels, lower than what was found in the Impossible Burger and Impossible Sausage.

Moms Across America requests that Burger King and Starbucks take these results very seriously and make immediate changes to its sourcing of ingredients.

You can make a difference in the abysmal health of our nation. Here’s how: We request that Burger King and Starbucks alert its suppliers that it will be transitioning to sources who do not use glyphosate or any other toxic agrochemicals. Given the great resources you have as corporations, we think that regular third party testing for these toxins in order to have your business, is appropriate and expected. This is essential for basic human health at any level of consumption of your food. Consider an organic black bean burger for a vegetarian alternative.

Be the brand that cares about your customers and our nation's future!

Sincerely,

Moms Across America

Background

Why we tested fast food:

Fast food is consumed by eighty-five million Americans each day, and many chains are often the suppliers of school lunches. Thirty million school meals are served to our children each day, and for millions of underprivileged children, these toxic meals are their only access to nutrition. Our previous testing has shown that America’s school lunches are indeed toxic.

To further investigate the status of a major source of food and nutrition in America, Moms Across America supporters, including Children’s Health Defense, the Centner Academy, and many individual supporters, recently initiated extensive testing focused specifically on America’s most popular fast food chains to explore the potential contamination of our food supply, which is likely affecting our physical and mental health.

For further information see the full report here.

Contact Zen Honeycutt [email protected]