Dive Brief:
- Beyond Meat unveiled its latest product under its fourth generation formulation with Beyond Sausage on June 20.
- The new product, which includes a Brat Original and Spicy Italian offering, will be available at grocery stores nationwide, including all Whole Foods and Kroger locations. A Mild Italian variation will be offered later this summer.
- Beyond has been rolling out “improved products” as part of its mission to meet demands of consumers wanting offerings with cleaner labels. The new sausage iteration has ingredients like avocado oil and an “enhanced flavor and a meatier texture,” the company said.
Dive Insight:
The California plant-based pioneer started 2024 with the debut of its new formulation, Beyond IV, and said it would be delivering products with a cleaner label and healthier ingredients.
The company has removed canola and coconut oils, replacing them with avocado, and reduced its saturated fat content while increasing protein.
Despite these changes, Beyond saw its eighth straight quarter of revenue declines in Q1.
Beyond executives are confident the company’s strategy of prioritizing health in its new products will jump-start sales. “We believe that 2024 is a pivotal year for change and progress,” said CEO Ethan Brown on the May earnings call.
Beyond said the new products are launching just in time for grilling season, and like its other reformulated products, key changes include 66% less saturated fat than the previous version, 17 grams of protein per link, a simplified ingredient list, with no coconut and canola oils and certified by the American Diabetes Association’s Better Choices for Life.
To accompany the product launch, Beyond Meat has created its first ever cookbook, Serve Love, which features “a collection of heart-healthy Beyond Meat recipes certified by the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check program.”
“We know that food is an act of love, and serving Beyond Meat to your family is a radical act of love. Our Serve Love cookbook celebrates this love and makes it easier than ever for consumers to prepare delicious and heart-healthy plant-based recipes,” said Akerho “AK” Oghoghomeh, chief marketing officer at Beyond Meat.
