We're Already Running Out Of Impossible Burgers

Investing in meat alternatives seems like a safe bet right now. On the heels of an announcement that Burger King plans to take its Impossible Whopper nationwide by the end of the year, Restaurant Brands International says the company is now on the verge of running out of the popular vegan burger. According to CNN, RBI says that "interest in Impossible Foods' plant-based meat alternative is growing so much that the company is struggling to keep up."

It's a good problem for a company to have—but still a problem. RBI says it's not running out of the ingredients needed to make the burgers, which recently had their recipe tweaked (apparently successfully)—it's a production issue. The company plans to add a third shift, increase work hours, and is installing a second production line at its Oakland, California location. And even that might not be enough, due to growth in areas including "every sales category where Impossible Foods does business," like independent restaurants, other chains like White Castle, theme parks, college campuses, and more.

Nevertheless, Impossible Foods CFO David Lee told CNN Business that the company is "sparing no expense" to keep up with Impossible Burger demand. As we've mentioned, the popularity of the burger is part of an overall increase in popularity of the plant-based diet, with Americans turning more toward meat alternatives both for health and environmental reasons.