Do we like them?

Do we like Beyond Meat?

Plant-based meat maker (burgers, sausages, steak) now rebranding as a plant-protein company. Based in El Segundo, California.

Our score: 4 out of 10. Mission-driven, but financially fragile and diluted. It has a record of protein-label disputes. We wouldn't put our money in.

Beyond Meat makes plant-based burgers, sausages and steak from California. Ethan Brown is the founder and CEO. In 2026 it began calling itself 'Beyond The Plant Protein Company', with protein drinks and new product lines.

It had legal trouble over protein claims. Consumers filed class actions from 2022 saying the labels overstated protein per serving. In a 2024 settlement, Beyond Meat agreed to put $7.5M into a fund, and the settlement took effect in April 2025.

Its former co-packer Don Lee Farms sued over a contract termination, and they settled in 2022. No one admitted wrongdoing.

In late 2025 it did a big debt swap. It exchanged its $1.15B of 0% convertible notes for new 7% notes plus about 326M new shares. Reuters-syndicated coverage said shares fell 63% on the early settlement, because of the dilution.

In 2026 the company got a Nasdaq non-compliance notice over a late annual report and announced a reverse stock split. So the cause is decent, but we'd stay away as a backer.