Beyond Meat drops the 'Meat' from its name as it expands to plant-based
drinks and snacks
[March 06, 2026] By
DEE-ANN DURBIN
Beyond Meat is dropping “meat” from its name as it moves beyond the
struggling market for plant-based burgers, sausages and tenders and
expands into new categories like protein drinks.
The company, rebranded as Beyond The Plant Protein Co. — or simply
Beyond on its packaging — changed its website and social media channels
this week. Beyond introduced its first beverage, a sparkling protein
drink called Beyond Immerse, in January and plans to release a protein
bar this summer.
The refresh could be critical for the brand. U.S. sales of plant-based
alternatives to meat are flagging and have dragged Beyond down with
them. The company's net revenue dropped 14% in the first nine months of
2025. Its shares have been trading below $1 since the start of this
year.
"For me, it is an opportunity to reshape the company around very real
food that is directly from plants,” said Beyond President and CEO Ethan
Brown, who founded the company in 2009. “It’s about delivering all those
benefits of the plant kingdom to the consumer in ways that they’re going
to be able to easily integrate it into their lives.”
Beyond is not the only vegan food company making a pivot. Consumer
demand for protein is skyrocketing, and several companies are scrambling
to serve up more plant-based options.
Eat Just, which makes plant-based eggs, introduced a protein powder made
with mung beans last spring. In January, Impossible Foods announced a
partnership with Equii Foods to develop protein-packed breads and
pastas. Silk, a plant-based dairy brand, also unveiled a protein drink
in January.
Chris Costagli, a food thought leader at NIQ, said plant-based brands
have struggled in recent years as customers scrutinized their labels and
found unfamiliar ingredients, added sugars or high sodium content.
After peaking in 2020, U.S. retail sales of plant-based meat have
plummeted, falling 26% over the last two years, according to NIQ.
“There’s a lot of fillers and gums and texturizers and things that give
those products a more familiar feel,” Costagli said. “I think as people
have been paying closer and closer attention to what they’re actually
ingesting, it’s causing some products to stumble.”
Costagli said reformulating products to make them simpler and healthier
has helped some brands in the plant-based dairy market. He thinks new
products and recipes could also boost plant-based meats.
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The new Beyond Immerse, Beyond's new sparkling plant‑protein drink
flavors, positioned as a lighter, "sippable" protein beverage is
showcased at the Natural Products Expo West 2026 at the Anaheim
Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
 That’s what Beyond is betting. In
2024, it revamped its flagship burger to make it healthier. Last
summer, it introduced Beyond Ground, which contains just four
ingredients – faba bean protein, potato protein, psyllium husk and
water – and doesn’t have the word “meat” on its packaging.
Brown said the company will increasingly focus on products that
showcase plants, like chickpea sausages or faba bean strips. Brown
said Beyond wants to “celebrate the realness” of its products and
its simplified ingredients. He also hopes the new products will lead
customers back to its plant-based meats.
“Hopefully, at some point people will say, 'Wait a minute, how did
we get here, where protein taken from red lentils, peas and brown
rice and oil taken from avocado and mixed together into a burger is
somehow not good for you?'” Brown said.
For now, new products like Beyond Ground and Beyond Immerse are only
available online through a website the company has dubbed Beyond
Test Kitchen. Brown said the company wants to to innovate and
collect feedback quickly, but will eventually put its products in
stores.
El Segundo, California-based Beyond will continue to make
plant-based burgers, chicken and other products designed to mimic
meat, Brown said. They remain popular in Europe, where Beyond’s
burgers and nuggets are found on McDonald’s menus.
Brown still believes plant-based meat will be a “much more dominant
choice” over the next decade or two, but the company has to navigate
what he calls “a period of confusion.”
“It's just not the moment for plant-based meat right now,” he said.
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