Burger King has released a limited edition burger in the run-up to Halloween with a spooky hue to match the festivities.
The fast-food chain’s Wednesday Whopper, part of a new menu inspired by The Addams Family animated films, features a deep purple bun.
While some consumers are concerned about the buns containing food coloring, Burger King has reassured fans that the food coloring is completely natural.
‘Chef’ Charlotte Zuber, from Burger King’s test kitchen, reveals that the purple hue actually comes from purple potatoes.
In a video posted from the fast food chain’s kitchen, she shows how the Whopper is constructed from a halved purple potato bun sandwiched with a beef patty, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and sliced white onions.
Burger King has launched a limited edition burger in the run-up to Halloween, with a spooky hue to match the festivities
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In 2015, Burger King caused a stir after releasing a black Halloween Whopper that turned people’s poop green.
‘GreenPoop’ became a popular hashtag on X, with some users even sharing photos of their bathroom surprise.
The black Halloween Whopper bun sold in the US got its dark hue from A1 steak sauce baked into the bun.
Food coloring was also added to the mixture, but Burger King claimed this was ‘less than one percent’.
Burger King said at the time that the flavorings and colorings for the Halloween Whopper were “widely used in the industry” and met FDA safety guidelines.
This time, however, the fast food giant has stopped using dyes for natural ingredients altogether.
The purple potato adds a sweet element, along with a nutty flavor.
Zuber did not reveal how the potatoes are added, but the process can be accomplished by substituting all-purpose flour for potato flour or by mashing the cooked potatoes and then adding them to the dough.
One fan wrote on Instagram following Whopper’s launch on Wednesday: ‘Thank God! I didn’t like when Burger King dyed their buns, so this is a nice change.”
On Reddit, customers reminisced about the fury the black burger buns caused.
While some consumers are concerned about the buns containing food coloring, Burger King has reassured fans that the food coloring is completely natural
A standard Wednesday Whopper, without additional toppings, contains about 820 calories
But experts reassured concerned commentators that the purple potato would not affect the color of their poop.
One Redditor wrote: ‘The reason the Halloween Whopper turned people’s poop green in 2015 was because of the food coloring, but this sandwich contains no food coloring. The purple comes from purple potatoes.’
A standard Wednesday Whopper, without additional toppings, contains about 820 calories.
The special menu is currently available at participating Burger King restaurants in the US and Canada.
Many reviewers who have tried the Wednesday Whopper say it looks about like the standard offering.
Matt Singer, who tried it for screencrush.com, wrote, “If you closed your eyes and took a bite, this tasted just like any other Whopper.
‘The changes to the standard sandwich are purely cosmetic. But hey, if you want a Whopper on a super purple-purple bun, you get what you ordered.”
And regarding the poop problem that occurred at Burger King’s previous Halloween launch, he noted, “Finally, some of you may be wondering if a specific post-digestion problem occurred with a previously stained Burger King bun .
“Well, no problems number two.”