Burger King Recipe For Cow's Diet To Reduce Methane Emissions

(RTTNews) - Fast-food chain Burger King has tested a new recipe for cow's diet to offer its customers reduced methane emission beef. It partnered with globally renowned scientists to develop and test a new diet for cows, which will help reduce cows' daily methane emissions.

The second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world will begin offering the Reduced Methane Emissions Beef Whopper sandwich, made with beef sourced from cows that emit reduced methane, from July 14 at select Burger King restaurants in Miami, New York, Austin, Portland, and Los Angeles.

According to initial study results, the new cow's diet helped reduce cows' daily methane emissions by up to 33 percent per day during the cows' last three to four months of their lives.

This move is part of Burger King's effort to help address a core industry challenge of the environmental impact of beef.

The quick service restaurant chain said this initiative is part of its 'Restaurant Brands for Good' framework.

The new recipe for this diet is open source and simple to implement. During the tests, 100 grams of lemongrass leaves was added to the cows' daily veterinary prescribed diet during their last four months, which helped them release less methane as they digest their food.

The burger chain suggested that if the whole industry, from farmers, meat suppliers, and other brands adopt the new diet, it can collectively help reduce methane emissions that affect climate change.

According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, livestock is responsible for approximately 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cows release methane, a greenhouse gas that traps the sun's heat and warms the planet, as a by-product of their digestion.