Beyond Meat drops the 'Meat' from its name as it pivots to plant-based drinks and snacks

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.

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.

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)

Beyond CEO Ethan Brown, the company's founder, showcases a Beyond Immerse Strawberry Lemonade flavored protein beverage at the Beyond booth as the company is transitioning from Beyond Meat to just Beyond, and to introduce a new line of sparkling plant‑protein drinks at the Natural Products Expo West 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Beyond CEO Ethan Brown, the company's founder, center, with Beyond Meat, kitchen assistant, Hector Torres, left, and Antonio Partida, Sr. Kitchen Prep, right, poses for a photo at their Beyond booth as the company is transitioning from Beyond Meat to just Beyond, to introduce a new line of sparkling plant‑protein drinks at the Natural Products Expo West 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Beyond CEO Ethan Brown, the company's founder, poses for a photo at his Beyond booth as the company is transitioning from Beyond Meat to just Beyond, to introduce a new line of sparkling plant‑protein drinks at the Natural Products Expo West 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Beyond CEO Ethan Brown, the company's founder, poses for a photo at his Beyond booth as the company is transitioning from Beyond Meat to just Beyond, to introduce a new line of sparkling plant‑protein drinks at the Natural Products Expo West 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Danica Patrick said Thursday it was her decision to not return to Sky Sports as an analyst for the upcoming Formula 1 season that began this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix.

Patrick joined the broadcast team in 2021 following her retirement from racing, which included stints in both IndyCar and NASCAR. Her departure from the Sky broadcast team was confirmed Wednesday when the network announced a lineup of Martin Brundle, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Jacques Villeneuve, Naomi Schiff, Bernie Collins, Karun Chandhok, Jamie Chadwick and Anthony Davidson.

Patrick told The Associated Press on Thursday she initiated the departure at the end of last season.

“I called after the season last year and just said it was time for me to move on,” she told AP. “I felt like I had taken in a great experience in F1 and was ready to have more time for other projects and interests.

“I am building a new company. I am also new to a couple of boards with big plans, and very busy punishing myself by learning new sports like tennis, golf, and skiing.”

Patrick during the last U.S. election cycle became an outspoken conservative and supporter of President Donald Trump, which led many to speculate her entrance into politics played a role in her departure from the F1 broadcast team. F1 is a globetrotting series that races on five continents.

She said she enjoyed her time in F1 and found the work demanding but rewarding. Patrick has also been part of the broadcast team for the Indianapolis 500 the last several years.

“I had an amazing time with the Sky Sports team. They were the reason I did it for so long. It was a lot of work — more than being a driver in many ways during a race weekend — especially in terms of time commitment at the track,” she said. “However, as a group, we made it fun. I also learned a lot about F1 and the drivers and became a much bigger fan, so that was fun too.

“The sport of F1 is very entertaining. My favorite part is the team principals. They understand the assignment of good television while obviously being incredible at running race teams.”

Patrick began racing as a child and briefly pursued a career in Europe before moving back to the U.S. for single-seater racing in the IndyCar Series. She made her debut in 2005 at age 23 and spent seven full seasons in that series, notably finishing third in the 2009 Indianapolis 500.

Her one career IndyCar victory came in 2008 in Japan.

Patrick moved to NASCAR in 2012 and went winless in 191 starts. She made 2017 her final full season as a racer and in 2018 concluded her driving career by racing in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 as a farewell.

She set many marks on the track as the first woman to lead laps in the Indianapolis 500, the highest-finishing Indy 500 female driver and the first woman to win the pole for the Daytona 500, which she did in 2013.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Danica Patrick is interviewed following her release from the infield hospital May 27, 2018, after being checked following a crash in the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

FILE - Danica Patrick sits on the set of ESPN's College Game Day program as a guest picker in Soldier Field before an NCAA college football game between Wisconsin and Notre Dame, Sept. 25, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)