Burger King Launches Reduced Methane Emissions Beef Patty

MIAMI, FL – Burger King caught the cattle industry off guard Tuesday with a tweet and video proclaiming “cow farts & burps are no laughing matter. ”

The tweet went on to say “They release methane, contributing to climate change. That’s why we’re working to change our cows’ diet by adding lemongrass to reduce their emissions by approximately 33 percent.”

Matt Banton, Head of Innovation and Sustainability with Burger King explained that beef is one of the top commodities the company purchases and the company knows that cattle are one of the top contributors to overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Restaraunt Brands International is the parent company of Burger King and quotes a United Nation’s FAO Report from 2013 that claims livestock is responsible for 14.5 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and beef is responsible for 41 percent of those emissions.

Burger King’s plan, referred to as “Reduced Methane Emissions Beef”, will feature beef from cattle fed a lemongrass supplemented diet and their beef patties will be served at select restaurants in Miami, New York, Austin, Los Angeles, and Portland.

Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) responded by saying that NCBA members are disappointed that Burger King chose to rely on the “potential impact of a single ruminant nutrition study that was so small and poorly conceived, it was dismissed by many leading NGOs and beef industry experts.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. is already a leader in sustainable beef production attributing just 2 percent of greenhouse gas emissions to the American cattle industry.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)