BOCA Launches Vegan Turkey Burger

Veggie burger pioneer BOCA Foods Company recently launched the vegan Original Turk’y Veggie Burger, a product that animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals deems the first of its kind. While BOCA recently rebranded its packaging to be more competitive with modern vegan brands such as Beyond Meat, some of its products still contain dairy and eggs. For nearly one decade, animal-rights groups, including Compassion Over Killing (COK), have urged BOCA to remove animal products from its line. In July, COK revived its campaign and recruited actress Kimberly Elise—known for her starring role in Diary of a Mad Black Woman—to pen a letter to Bernardo Hees, CEO of BOCA parent company Kraft Heinz. “More and more moms are choosing to forego dairy products and feed their families vegan food, but unfortunately, we can’t enjoy most of BOCA’s product line … yet,” Elise wrote. “In offering a veggie burger, you’ve already recognized that consumers want less violence and more nutrition on their plates. Please, catch up with your competitors and offer a 100-percent vegan BOCA brand.” The new vegan turkey burger is available at select retailers, including Publix.