Burger King’s ad campaign to spotlight its Whopper, free of artificial preservatives
Burger King
Burger King announced Wednesday it is removing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives from its signature Whopper sandwich in the United States.
The Restaurant Brands International chain plans to highlight the change with a global advertising campaign that shows a photo of a moldy Whopper, supposedly 28 days old, with text that reads “the beauty of no artificial preservatives.”
The campaign comes as consumers demand more transparency about the ingredients in their food. In 2018, McDonald’s removed artificial additives from seven classic burgers, a change that included tweaking its iconic Big Mac sauce. The Chicago-based company also rolled out fresh beef Quarter Pounders, a change that saw it regain burger market share.
More than 400 U.S. restaurants are already selling Whoppers without artificial additives. The chain expects all Whoppers sold in the U.S. to follow suit by the end of the year. Most European countries are already selling their Whoppers without the artificial additives.
Burger King said more than 90% of all food ingredients at U.S. restaurants do not contain artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. No food items contain MSG or high-fructose corn syrup, both of which are common additives in the fast-food industry.