Beyond Meat Says Being Attacked Has Just Made It Stronger

The plant-based-meat company’s CEO, Ethan Brown, credits a series of attack ads with prompting a potentially sector-saving change of plan.

In 2019, the future of vegan meat looked rosy. Beyond Meat was on the verge of going public and the media could not get enough of juicy, bleeding, plant-based burgers that would make lentil pucks a thing of the past and convince a whole generation of meat-eaters to try vegan fare. Things were so good that a few attack ads warning consumers that the ingredients and processing involved in making plant-based burgers was something to be afraid of didn’t seem worth making a fuss about.