It seems like the Impossible Burger really made a lot of fast food chains rethink their strategy. Available as a Whopper and at select restaurants like White Castle and Red Robin, the plant-based burger is making people aware that there’s a healthier and more environmentally friendly “beef” option out there. Not one to be behind the trends, Subway just announced that they’d be making a similar change.
Well, sort of. Subway is most famous for its assembly line, meaning that while they have a few standard menu items, you can get whatever you want. But out of those aforementioned menu items, they’re probably best known for their meatball marinara sub.
As far as meatball subs go, theirs has always been pretty tasty. So, that’s why it’s surprising that they’d risk its popularity on such a big change. Oh yes — Subway is looking to make a meatless meatball sub.
To its benefit, they’re pairing up with a company that knows what they’re doing. They’re partnering up with Beyond Meat — also known as one of the top meatless alternative competitors for Impossible Foods — to create the Beyond Meatball Marinara. Burger King partnered with Impossible Foods for the Impossible Whopper, so it’ll be interesting to see how the two different sandwiches compare.
Subway initially plans to test the sandwich in 685 restaurant locations in the United States and Canada. This seems similar to the plan Burger King had.
Hopefully, they’ll have the same success. There are a lot of good reasons as to why meatless is the way to go.
Just ate at my favorite vegetarian restaurant. I've been a vegetarian for 25 years now. It works for me and my family. Going meatless is great for the environment and even better for all the Earth's beautiful creatures. Give it a try if you can. pic.twitter.com/H5IFKGEyFp
— Jeff 🇵🇸 (@usedwigs) August 18, 2018
For one, it requires less. “Building meat without the animal requires fewer resources, making it a much more efficient and sustainable process,” the Beyond Meat website claims.
Even meat-eaters have given praise to the rise of the meatless companies in recent years. Since the two taste so similar, why not choose the healthier option?
But, can it easily turn into a meatball? Plenty of companies have made the burger patty successful, but meatballs are a different dish entirely.
For the vegetarians out there, it’s nice to know that they can eat a meatball sub without feeling any of the guilt. Of course it’s a shame to see animals lose their lives for food, but the environmental hit is also something to be concerned about.
National Geographic wrote that we need to drastically change the way we eat if we want to see our planet thrive and survive. Livestock has a big impact on climate change emissions, so that’s one of the biggest things that needs to change.
The planet needs us to go vegan! 🌿💚
— AnimalJusticeProject (@ajpReact) August 7, 2019
"To have any chance of feeding ten billion people in 2050 within planetary boundaries, we must adopt a healthy, plant-based diet."
Vegan for the animals, our health and the planet! 🌍🐷#WednesdayWisdom https://t.co/jAuYfVg4ly
But aside from climate change, which is the most important discussion to have right now, it’s also just fun to realize that it’s 2019 and new food is still being created. This may very well be our future.
So, what’s different about the Beyond Meatball Marinara? Besides the meat itself, not much.
Like the original, the Beyond version will still include parmesan cheese and a nice amount of marinara sauce. But surprisingly, it’ll also contain more protein.
According to Delish, the new sub will have 24 grams, whereas the original only has 20. Who would have thought?
But, that’s not all. You can also add the meatballs to any other sub you want.
Come on chick. I'm the only one ordering subway at this hour, give me all the meatballs in the tub, you don't want to have to store them!
— Jeremy (@theFAKEJeremyG) May 10, 2014
It seems a little strange — since, why not just get a meatball sub if you want meatballs. But hey, the option is there. Subway wants to give you choices.
If you go to subway and don't get a meatball marinara, your life is average at best
— Lucas (@Cxlming) March 7, 2017
Wondering if you local Subway is one of the lucky 685? No doubt about it, participating locations will advertise the goods.
When it comes to Impossible (or Beyond) meat, locations who serve it up often do so with pride. As they should.
Also, people should be happy about the beyond burger, since it’s made from lentils, and last I checked, those were things that we grow here.
— Eric Bell (@eric_bellMB) May 1, 2019
Even though you might be a little suspicious about a meatless Meatball Marinara, you have to have faith in Subway. They’d never try to sabotage one of their most beloved sandwiches.
