Vegan bacon cheeseburgers, paper beer bottles and this week’s other food news
From paper beer bottles to the vegan bacon cheeseburgers (yep, those exist), here are three food stories you might have missed:
1. Nestlé is selling vegan alternatives to bacon and cheese
The plant-based trend is not dying anytime soon. Nestlé is adding to the menu of fake-meat options.
The global food company said on Wednesday it’s selling vegan alternatives to bacon and cheddar cheese. The idea is to complement its Awesome burger, a plant-based patty that looks and tastes like meat, to create a vegan bacon cheeseburger.
“We have now raised the bar by developing a ‘PB triple play’ of ingredients for an all-time classic: the bacon cheeseburger,” Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider said in a statement.
But don’t expect to see it in grocery stores, because Nestlé is only selling it to restaurant and food service clients in the United States and Europe next year.
2. Carlsberg is working on beer bottles made of paper
Beer mostly comes in aluminum cans or glass, but Carlsberg thinks there’s another way. The European brewer revealed two new recyclable prototypes of its sustainably sourced wood fiber bottle on Thursday.
One version is lined with a thin film of recycled PET plastic to keep beer from seeping out. The other uses a bio-based lining. The prototypes will be used to test the linings. The innovation is a way to lower its impact on the environment and present consumers with an interesting new option.
It’s still a few years away from selling the bottle to the masses. Partly for the holdup is because it’s taking a long time to develop an effective paper bottle that doesn’t alter the taste of its carbonated beverage. Another problem: The types of materials it’s seeking, like the bio-based polymer lining, are not commercially available.
3. Wendy’s unveils its full breakfast menu
A Baconator … for breakfast? Your dreams will become reality next year when Wendy’s launches its breakfast menu. It gave the world a peek at the full menu on Friday, which includes nine sandwiches and unique sides (dibs on the sausage gravy.) It’s also going to sell a new blend of coffee.
Wendy’s is entering a full-blown breakfast war with its fast food rivals. The chain believes the morning could be a big source of growth. It’s one of the few dayparts growing for the industry.
It also learned several lessons that it won’t repeat from the last time it tried breakfast several years ago. For example, it won’t force franchises to buy pricey new equipment.
CNN Business’ Danielle Weiner-Bronner contributed to this report.
