Loss-making Beyond Meat is reportedly ditching ‘Meat’ from its corporate name, potentially revitalizing sales.
Ethan Brown, founder, president, and CEO of the US-based meat-alternatives producer, revealed this change in an interview with American business magazine Fast Company.
Brown told the publication: “What we’re great at is making protein.” He added, “Instead of thinking about a simple replacement for animal protein, what if you just thought about your daily protein consumption, and I started to try to replace as much of that as I can with plant protein, any form that I could?”
Fast Company suggested that the name change indicates the company is shifting its focus from mimicking animal proteins to allowing plant-based proteins to shine.
Importantly, Beyond Meat does not plan to discontinue any existing products, as confirmed by the publication.
Just Food has reached out to the company for confirmation regarding the details in the Fast Company report.
Global sales of plant-based meats have been declining or at least slowing in various markets. Major criticisms of this category typically center on taste and quality, while inflated prices deter consumers.
Contributing factors include lengthy ingredient lists and allegations that many products are overly processed.
The reported name change comes just days before the company announces its second-quarter results.
In its first quarter of 2025, adjusted EBITDA losses widened to $42.3 million from $32.9 million, while the net loss was $52.9 million—slightly better than the $54.4 million loss in the same quarter of 2024.
Sales fell by 9.1% in the first three months of 2025, totaling $68.7 million, compared to a drop of 18% to $75.6 million in the same quarter the previous year. Another decline is anticipated for the new quarter, with Brown estimating between $80-85 million, down from $93.2 million in Q2 of 2024, when sales fell by 8.8%.
However, in its International segment, Beyond Meat’s foodservice sales increased by 12.1% to $15.3 million, while retail sales were more subdued, growing only 0.8% to $12.7 million.
Beyond Meat did experience a revenue rebound in Q3 of 2024, albeit with a slight downgrade in the top-end of its year-end guidance.
At that time, the CEO stated: “You can see a very steep curve moving in the right direction, and that’s why we feel so confident about our plan to bring the business into profitability.”
He further stated to analysts: “I can’t say when—I don’t want to imply it’s going to be anytime soon—but that is where we’re headed.”
Brown also criticized detractors of plant-based meat, who label these products as overly processed: “The weaponisation of the word process, a tactic emphasized in the incumbent industry playbook to undermine plant-based meat and preserve the status quo, has grown long in the tooth. It is past time we put it to bed.”
“We plan to address this by applying generous amounts of sunlight to our own process, educating consumers on how we build meat directly from plants.”
Beyond Meat’s upcoming product, Beyond Ground, reportedly set to launch in August, features a simplified ingredient list: fava beans, potato starch, water, and psyllium husk.
According to Brown, fava beans are just the beginning: “If you want something that’s a ground product, here you have it.”
In the future, Brown envisions the company serving specific occasions rather than just mimicking animal products: “You’ll see us come out with items like lentil sausage or chickpea hot dogs.”
Since its public debut on the Nasdaq in 2019, Beyond Meat has struggled to achieve profitability, with EBITDA remaining in the red since the modest $11.8 million generated in 2020.
Its shares recently traded at $3.04, having plunged more than 50% this year from peaks above $100 five years ago.