Big Ol' Vegan Burger Sets Guinness World Record

In case you needed another reminder that vegan and vegetarian meat alternatives are in demand, the record for largest vegan burger was just set by a business in Northern Ireland, reports the Irish Post.

A family-owned company created the 358 pound, 4-ounce burger and topped it with 22 pounds of tomatoes, 10 pounds of lettuce, more than 15 pounds of vegan cheese, nearly 4.5 pounds of onions, 11 pounds of gherkins, 11 pounds of the company's signature vegan bacon, and 11 pounds of the company's vegan sauce. They topped the whole thing off with a (very large) vegan bun, as every part of the burger had to be certified as vegan. The business behind the burger is called Finnebrogue Artisan and enlisted the help of 10 employees just to make the patty alone.

I always wonder what happens to these gigantic foods after the record is broken, and for the first time I have an answer. "To avoid food waste on the day, which is in line with our own policies and that of the Guinness World Records, we donated some finished burger to homeless charity, The Simon Community," Anthea McAuley, Finnebrogue's communications manager, told the Post. "Our staff also enjoyed the burger for their lunch."

Yes, the team enjoyed an impressive vegan feast after the record was documented by a Guinness official—but even more impressive is the process it took to create the massive burger. The burger required the help of engineers and took nine hours of cooking before it was ready to plate. The engineers even designed a swing to help turn the plant-based burger and give it an even cook.

Now I'm wondering if The Takeout should try to set our own food-based world record. How about the world's longest chain of gold leaf hot dogs? Any other ideas for our future in the record books?