Plant-based meat substitutes
Meat substitute company founded in Los Angeles in 2009 by Ethan Brown. Has partnerships with several major retailers and fast food chains including McDonalds and Yum Brands.
Company Assessment
(Last updated Jan 2024)
Praise
Criticism
Information
Beyond Meat Inc
Praise
Criticism
Information
9/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 9/100 in the Food Products category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 23 Sep 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global
(2022)
38.1% at JUST Capital
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2022 rankings the public identified 19 issues, which are organised under the headings Workers, Communities, Customers, Shareholders and Environment. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 818th of 954 companies, and 30th of 35 Food, Beverage & Tobacco companies.
Source: JUST Capital
(2022)
Allegations of misleading customers
A class action filed against this company in 2022 alleges that Beyond Meat misleads consumers about the quality and amount of protein in its substitute meat products. Beyond Meat not only miscalculates the protein content of its substitute meat products, but also misleads consumers by falsely advertising that they "provide equivalent nutritional benefits to that found in traditional meat-based products," the Beyond Meat class action alleges.
Source: Top Class Actions
(2022)
CEO Pay Ratio of 100:1
In 2022 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$67,668. The CEO was paid 100 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO
(2023)
Legal dispute with former supplier
Beyond Meat was in a legal dispute from 2019 until 2022 with their former business partner and supplier, Don Lee Farms. This was prompted by Beyond Meat's switch to different suppliers, who they then shared details with about the manufacturing process. In 2022 "the parties entered into a confidential written settlement agreement", dropping all charges against each other.
Source: news article
(2022)
Plant Based Foods Association member
This company is a member of the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), who represents more than 90 of USA's leading plant-based food companies. The PBFA's mission is to promote the plant-based foods industry by removing obstacles to a fair and competitive marketplace for alternatives to animal ingredients and products.
Source: PBFA
(2024)
Non-GMO products in USA
This company has products that have been verified as compliant with the Non-GMO Project Standard, North America's only independent verification for products made according to best practices for GMO avoidance.
Source: Non-GMO Project
(2021)
How2Recycle member
This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.
Source: How2Recycle
(2023)
Company Details
Type:
Public company
Founded:
2009
Revenue:
407 million USD
(2020)
Employees:
472
(2019)
Contact Details
Products / Brands
Beyond Meat
Beyond Meat
Vegetarian & Vegan