Burger King helps cows with their diet and that’s good for the environment

Burger King is taking a new step toward sustainability starting with cows’ diets.

Sometimes simple changes can offer big solutions. Burger King has taken a step toward lessening the environmental impact of beef. A small change can have a huge impact on a substantial industry challenge. It all starts with a cow’s diet.

Think about a simple idea or a phrase that has been part of everyone’s lives. How often have you heard the phrase, you are what you eat?

Any living being is impacted by the food that it eats and digests. Who hasn’t had a day where a little too many beans caused a pressure building in your stomach? Sometimes the right foods can be better for digestion. This concept applies to animals, too.

Burger King is working with select cow farms to change cows’ diets. The idea is that a different diet can help to reduce a cow’s emission. Yes, a better diet means less cow farts.

While the kids might be laughing right now (who doesn’t laugh at a good fart joke), but there is a little serious aspect to this statement.

According to the United Nation’ Food and Agriculture Organization, ”livestock is responsible for approximately 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.” Yes, cow farts cause greenhouse gas.

Check out this video for a fun explanation.

The idea is straightforward and is showing promising results. Based on recent findings, the new cow diet reduced “up to 33% per day, on average of cows’ daily methane emissions during the last three to four months of their lives.”

Given that Burger King relies on the cow industry, it makes sense to the company would look to help the industry, the consumer and the planet as a while.

According to Fernando Machado, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Restaurant Brands International, “This initiative is part of our Restaurant Brands for Good framework. At Burger King, we believe that delicious, affordable and convenient meals can also be sustainable.”

This potential change could have a bigger impact beyond the individual company. If these findings can be applied industry wide, the impact would be huge. Sometimes a simple solution can have a huge ripple effect.

For consumers in select restaurants in Miami, New York, Austin, Portland, and Los Angeles, guests will have the opportunity to purchase a Reduced Methane Emissions Beef Whopper. This menu item will be made with beef “sourced from cows that emit reduced methane.” The special Whopper is available while supplies last.

It will be interesting to see how other companies respond to this Burger King program. A new food trend could be on the horizon. Improving food from the source could be the next consideration for companies.

What do you think of this Burger King program? Do you think that you will be able to taste a difference?