Beyond the Burger and Why Beyond Meat Just Dropped the ‘Meat’

Scott Mathias
Jul 30
2 min read

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In a move less about shock and more about shedding the last vestiges of a fading food illusion, Beyond Meat just dropped the 'Meat' according to US reports. That’s right, Beyond Meat will simply be Beyond, and with it comes a recalibration of the alt protein narrative. Out with mimicry, in with meaning.

CEO Ethan Brown’s move isn’t just a branding tweak, it’s more a philosophical reshuffle. Gone is the obsession with replicating "bleeding" burgers. In its place? A spotlight on field-grown, oil-free, label-clean, ground plant protein.

Source: Original image from Beyond Ai enhanced showing new name branding.

Yes, the newly unveiled Beyond Ground product ditches the complicated, pseudo-science formula once defining this category. No added oils, no cholesterol, and no saturated fats. Just fava beans from a regenerative fifth-generation farm in North Dakota, from nitrogen fixing plants nourishing soil, and apparently, now the face of the new protein frontier.

This is no longer about impersonating meat. This is Beyond saying, why bother chasing cows when you can cultivate the future?

Let’s be honest, plant-based burgers may have had their moment in the sun. They sizzled, bled, and shocked BBQ-goers. But consumer enthusiasm waned just as fast. Taste fatigue set in. Health promises got questioned. And the nagging label clutter of methylcellulose, gum blends, mystery oils, began to undermine the whole “better for you” narrative.

So now, Brown and his team are doing something radical: walking away from the beef act entirely.

They’re not alone in sniffing the wind. According to Bain & Company, 44% of Americans want more protein, and “protein-labeled” products have quadrupled in the last ten years. From protein chips to protein soda, the market is saturated, but also wide open for disruption.

Beyond is banking on a third lane, that of clean, regenerative plant protein made for conscious consumers who’ve had it with Frankenlabels. Instead of riding the nostalgia wave for animal products, they’re leaning into the land itself. Brown even points to a literal plot twist: “That field used to have cattle. Now it’s fava beans.”

The subtext? If you want to regenerate the planet, stop trying to engineer meat in a lab and start letting legumes do what they’ve done for millennia.

Also in the pipeline? Veg-forward sausages, a whisper of a post-workout product boasting 30g of protein and zero fat, and who knows what else. This isn’t about dinner anymore—it’s about everyday protein for a generation that demands performance, purpose, and planetary care all in one bite.

Beyond’s stripped-back approach signals a broader shift for the entire plant-based sector: from performative meat swaps to functional, ingredient-led innovation. Less fake beef. More real plants. Less “is it meat?” and more “is it meaningful?”

And in this new protein economy, the winners won’t be the loudest imitators. They’ll be the brands that tell the truth, on the label, on the land, and on the palate.

Welcome to the era of just Beyond.

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