Beyond Meat beefs down name as it expands product range
Beyond Meat is dropping the word “meat” from its name as it expands beyond the struggling market for plant-based burgers, sausages and tenders into new categories like protein drinks.
The company, which has rebranded on its packaging as Beyond The Plant Protein Co, or Beyond for short, changed its website and social media channels this week.
Beyond launched its first drink, a sparkling protein shake called Beyond Immerse, in January and plans to launch a protein bar this summer as well.
The refresh could be critical for the brand. Sales of plant-based alternatives to meat are weakening in the U.S., and they’ve dragged Beyond with them.
The company’s net income fell 14 percent in the first nine months of 2025. Its shares have been trading below US$1 ($A1.40) since the beginning of 2026.
“For me, this is an opportunity to reshape the company around real food directly from plants,” said Ethan Brown, president and CEO of Beyond, who founded the company in 2009.
“It’s about bringing all these benefits of the plant kingdom to consumers in a way that they can easily integrate into their lives.”
Beyond isn’t the only vegan food company making progress. Consumer demand for protein is growing rapidly, and many companies are striving to offer more plant-based options.
NIQ food thought leader Chris Costagli said plant-based brands were struggling as customers scrutinized labels and found unusual ingredients, added sugars or high sodium content.
According to NIQ, retail sales of plant-based meat in the U.S. have fallen 26 percent over the past two years after peaking in 2020.
“There are a lot of fillers, gums, texturizers and things that give these products a more familiar feel,” Costagli said.
“I think the fact that people are starting to pay more and more attention to what they’re actually eating is causing some products to stumble.”
Reformulating products to make them simpler and healthier has helped some brands in the plant-based dairy market, Costagli said. He thinks new products and recipes could also support plant-based meats.
That’s what Beyond is betting on. In 2024, it revamped its flagship burger to make it healthier. He introduced Beyond Ground, which contains only four ingredients (fava bean protein, potato protein, psyllium husk and water) and does not have the word “meat” on its packaging.
California-based Beyond will continue to produce plant-based burgers, chicken and other products designed to mimic meat, Brown said.
They remain popular in Europe, where Beyond’s burgers and nuggets appear on McDonald’s menus.
Brown still believes plant-based meat will become “a much more dominant choice” in the next decade or two, but the company needs to go through what he calls a “period of confusion.”
“Right now is not the time for plant-based meat,” he said.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
