Starbucks Drops Impossible Breakfast Sandwich, Its Only US Plant-Based Meat Item, as Foodservice Pulls Back on Meat Analogues

Starbucks will take the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich off its US menu over the course of November, according to Bloomberg. The sandwich was introduced in 2020 and was the only item on the chain’s advertised US menu that contained plant-based meat. Its removal ends a six-year partnership with Impossible Foods and adds to a list of national restaurant chains that have dropped meat analogues.

What is leaving the menu

The sandwich combined an Impossible Sausage patty, made mainly from soy protein concentrate, sunflower oil and coconut oil, with a cage-free egg and aged Cheddar on ciabatta. It was not vegan. Green Queen lists it at 420 calories, 21g of protein, 3g of fibre and 22g of fat, 8g of which is saturated.

“While we no longer offer the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich, our baristas would be happy to recommend an alternative sandwich,” Starbucks said in an email quoted by Bloomberg. The company said it regularly reviews its menu and applies “various criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers and our business.” Meat-free options such as an egg, pesto and mozzarella sandwich will stay, but Starbucks’ US menu will no longer include a centre-of-plate plant-based protein.

Impossible Foods said it was “proud to have partnered with Starbucks for more than six years” and remains “committed to making delicious, nutrient-dense meat from plants more accessible.”

A pattern across US foodservice

The decision follows similar moves by other chains. According to Green Queen, IHOP, the Cheesecake Factory and White Castle have all removed Impossible products. White Castle replaced the Impossible Burger with a Dr. Praeger’s veggie patty this year. Beyond Meat’s McPlant is no longer sold by McDonald’s in the US, and Beyond’s tie-ups with Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell did not last. Impossible products remain at Burger King (the Impossible Whopper), AMC Theatres and Wayback Burgers.

Distributor data points the same way. Green Queen reports that broadline distributor sales of plant proteins in US foodservice, including meat alternatives, tofu, tempeh and veggie burgers, fell 7% in 2025.

What is driving the pull-back

Bloomberg attributes the trend to weaker consumer interest in products that copy the taste and texture of meat, and to restaurants cutting slow-selling items. Concern about ultra-processed foods is also a factor. Many shoppers have grown wary of products with long ingredient lists, and some plant-based meats fall into that group. Green Queen also points to US federal dietary guidance that favours beef, and to consumers who still eat plant-based food choosing whole-food formats over processed analogues.

Starbucks’ own priorities also play a part. The chain is in a turnaround under CEO Brian Niccol, and the company says it regularly reviews its menu. A breakfast item that needs a dedicated patty SKU but sells slowly is an obvious candidate when a menu is being simplified.

What it means for alt-protein suppliers

National chain listings have long been the most visible sign of mainstream acceptance for plant-based meat brands, and a relatively low-cost way to get consumers to try the products. Losing a partner the size of Starbucks removes a high-frequency breakfast occasion and a widely recognised endorsement.

For ingredient and product developers, the trend reinforces themes already visible in retail: shorter ingredient lists, clearer nutrition claims such as protein and fibre content, and hybrid or whole-food formats that are less exposed to criticism of ultra-processed foods. The impact on climate targets may be harder to offset. Green Queen cites figures that put the Impossible Sausage patty’s water use 80% lower, land use 46% lower and emissions 73% lower than the conventional equivalent, and Starbucks has not announced a plant-based replacement.