Beyond Meat Stock Hits All-Time Low

A bellwether in the vegan food industry is getting a raw deal on Wall Street.

Beyond Meat — once worth $7.8billion — is now almost worthless after an attempt to tackle its debt got the thumbs down from investors.

The near collapse of Beyond isn't just a blow for the company itself — it's a clear symptom of the wider vegan food industry.

As the poster child for plant-based meat, analysts say its struggles underline the sector's core problems: limited consumer demand, high prices, and products that often fail to deliver on taste or convenience.

Beyond's stock plunged 50 percent Monday after the company announced a sweeping plan to swap its old debt for new loans and issue hundreds of millions of new shares.

The move gives the plant-based meat maker more time to pay its bills — but it also means investors now own a smaller slice of the company.

Today's slump marks the second major drop in just over two weeks. On September 28, the company's share price crashed 35 percent after the CEO tried to ask for more money from investors.

Together, the two drops have erased much of the company’s value. It is now worth just $79million. The fake meat brand, once promoted by Kim Kardashian and model Nicole Williams-English, is also burdened with about $800 million in debt and struggling to stay afloat.

Beyond first reached grocery stores in 2013, promising the fresh taste of a burger without a butchered cow.

For $8 to $10, shoppers could grab a package of two meatless patties, branded with a green cow wearing a cape.

With a more light-hearted approach than rivals like No Evil or Simulate, Beyond quickly became the poster child of plant-based protein.

But the industry has been skewered. Customers' appetites for fake meat were charred.

When Beyond Meat went public in 2019, it was hailed as the future of food, with its stock briefly soaring more than 350 percent on a plant-based craze.

McDonald's tested Beyond patties in its burgers, Burger King added the Impossible Whopper, Dunkin' launched a Beyond breakfast sandwich, and investors bet on a meatless future.

But McDonald's and Dunkin' have since dropped their options after weak sales. Burger King still sells the plant-based Whopper.

'Beyond Meat suffers from taste and texture issues, high prices, and perhaps an "ultra-processed food" image,' Jerry Thomas, the CEO of Decision Analyst, told the Daily Mail. 'The chances of the company surviving are meager.'

Investors are rushing away from Beyond's stock because other companies have tried similar quick-solve 'rescue plans' when in debt, and failed.

For example, in 2023, Nikola, the EV freight truck startup, attempted to clear its debts by offering more stock.

But the plan backfired, with investors nervous that the company couldn't pay back its debts. This year, Nikola permanently closed.

Analysts tell the Daily Mail they expect a similar fate for Beyond.

'The problem for Beyond Meat is that the company is not living up to its own hype,' Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData, told the Daily Mail.

'There is a market for fake meat, but consumers are broadly skeptical of the category as it is not seen as particularly natural and is viewed as being highly processed.'