Beyond Meat, the US maker of vegan-friendly meat alternatives, has announced a rebrand – which sees the company drop the word ‘meat’ from its name in favour of focusing instead on the plant-based nature of its range.

The company announced via Instagram that it would now be known as Beyond The Plant Protein Company.

Beyond’s founder and CEO Ethan Jones said in a recent interview that: “It’s just not the moment for plant-based meat right now.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Data for meat alternative products in the key US market which show that sales have fallen since 2020, suggests appetites have waned among consumers for plant-based meat substitutes.

The company’s branding pivot towards protein could be seen as an attempt to take advantage of the surging demand for protein-heavy products. It launched a protein drink earlier this year and plans a protein bar in the coming months.

However, Beyond will be going up against some very well-established brands, such as Ireland-headquartered Glanbia, in that space.

The company faces other challenges in its attempted pivot, not least of them its precarious financial position.

This week Beyond announced that it was delaying the publication of its annual report as it needs additional time to complete a review of its inventory balances. The company said it “expects to report that a material weakness in the company’s internal control over financial reporting existed as of 31 December 2025”.

The easiest solution to this risk is for Beyond to do a reverse stock split, where it exchanges 10 current shares for one new share, which in theory would increase the value of each new listed share ten-fold, well above the $1 minimum required to maintain its market listing

The most recent financial report for the company, to the end of September 2025, showed a loss of $193m (€167.2m) on revenue of $214m (€183.4m). To put that another way, it was costing the company $1.90 to make $1 of sales. It reported outstanding debt of $1.2bn (€1.04bn).

The company’s share performance has reflected its trading difficulties. It is down 15% so far this year, 79% lower than a year ago and 99.5% below its all-time high.

There is a risk for Beyond that it may be removed from the Nasdaq Index after the company received a delinquency notice because its shares have traded below $1 for more than 30 days.

The easiest solution to this risk is for Beyond to do a reverse stock split, where it exchanges 10 current shares for one new share, which in theory would increase the value of each new listed share ten-fold, well above the $1 minimum required to maintain its market listing.

The solution to the company’s wider problem of losing money on what it is selling may be significantly more difficult to find.