Beyond Meat Expects Q1 Sales To Be Down Again

Beyond Burger products connected waste successful Charlotte, North Carolina, connected 3 March 2026. Credit: PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock.com

Beyond Meat expects its revenues to person fallen again successful nan first 3 months of this twelvemonth amid a “very volatile” marketplace for plant-based meat.

The US alt-meat business rounded disconnected 2025 pinch near-20% autumn successful fourth-quarter revenues – and has guided to different diminution successful opening 3 months of this year.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to scope engaged professionals crossed 36 starring media platforms.

Find retired much

The Beyond Burger marque proprietor said this week (31 March) it expects its first-quarter nett revenues to beryllium astir $57-59m, a consequence that would comparison to $68.7m successful nan corresponding play of 2025. Five years ago, Beyond Meat’s first-quarter nett revenues were $108.2m.

The constricted guidance was issued alongside nan publication of Beyond Meat’s delayed results for nan 4th fourth of 2025 and for nan twelvemonth arsenic a whole.

In 2025, nan company’s nett revenues dropped 15.6% to $275.5m, which, alongside different items, contributed to wider operating losses.

Speaking to analysts aft nan numbers were published, Beyond Meat’s guidance was asked if it could supply immoderate guidance connected its gross margins for 2026 aft seeing them autumn from 12.8% successful 2024 to 2.8% past year.

“Unfortunately, we’re not providing guidance for gross separator for nan year. To supply a small spot of discourse astir that, 1 of nan reasons why we proceed to supply only year-end guidance connected gross is nan truth that our halfway category, plant-based meat, remains benignant of very volatile and volumes stay soft,” CFO and treasurer Lubi Kutua said. “And, pinch that being, obviously, astatine this stage, nan immense mostly of our business, nan effect that softer volumes has connected margins tin beryllium beautiful significant.”

Beyond Meat has seen revenues travel nether unit for a number of quarters, pinch nan business pointing to soft request arsenic a factor.

The little volumes being produced by nan business, mixed pinch higher input costs and accrued inventories, is weighing connected margins, nan institution says.

“The little fixed costs absorption continues to beryllium a headwind connected margin,” Kutua told analysts. “It’s conscionable highly difficult for america to forecast gross separator to immoderate grade of certainty erstwhile there’s truthful overmuch variability connected nan apical line. We person initiatives successful spot that are aimed astatine expanding margins … but, ultimately, we request to spot immoderate stabilisation connected nan apical statement successful bid for america to person greater assurance successful position of wherever margins will shingle out.”

Beyond Meat’s fourth-quarter results – which included a 19.7% diminution successful nett revenues – “reflect persistent anemic request successful nan plant-based nutrient category”, laminitis and CEO Ethan Brown added.

Brown besides repeated his belief nan nutrient manufacture is mis-representing nan plant-based alternatives connected sale, which, he says, is weighing connected demand. Meanwhile, US income of reddish nutrient are connected nan rise.

“As I person noted countless times successful these calls, nan incumbent manufacture did a masterful occupation of seeding uncertainty successful nan mind of nan consumer,” he said. “For nan clip being, we run successful an upside-down world pinch proteins from peas, lentils, fava beans and brownish rice, mixed pinch avocado lipid and a constricted number of different cleanable ingredients, is disingenuously, though broadly cast, arsenic little than healthy. I judge this disorder will yet clear.”

The Beyond Meat laminitis pointed to nan company’s efforts to “innovate astir sensation and health” and nan business’ “various accreditations and certifications”, including pinch nan Clean Label Project.

“We proceed to lead nan class successful bringing cleanable plant-based meats to nan user while hammering distant astatine persistent misinformation promulgated by nan incumbent industry,” he added.

The publication of Beyond Meat’s fourth-quarter and full-year accounts were delayed while nan institution completed an accounting reappraisal focused connected inventory.

Fourth-quarter nett revenues stood astatine $61.6m, down from $76.7m a twelvemonth earlier.

Gross profit was $1.4m, pinch a gross separator of 2.3%. That compared to gross profit of $10m – and a gross separator of 13.1% – successful nan 4th fourth of 2025. Beyond Meat said nan gross profit and separator for nan last 3 months of past twelvemonth included charges from “provision for excess and obsolete inventory” aft cuts to its merchandise statement and costs linked to nan extremity of its operations successful China.

The institution made a fourth-quarter operating nonaccomplishment of $132.7m versus 1 of $37.8m successful nan corresponding play of 2025. The consequence included a bid of charges covering areas specified arsenic a write-down of assets held for sale, and a litigation accrual.

Fourth-quarter nett income was $409.9m, compared to a nett nonaccomplishment of $44.9m a twelvemonth earlier. The consequence included a $548.7m non-cash summation connected Beyond Meat’s caller debt restructuring.

The company, group up successful 2009 to attraction connected offering connected plant-based nutrient alternatives, is looking to broaden its merchandise range. Earlier this year, Beyond Meat launched a statement of “plant protein” beverages. Brown said nan business is “repositioning” to go Beyond, The Plant Protein Company.

“It is not successful immoderate measurement abandoning nan original ngo and attraction that we person had,” Brown said. “It’s simply broadening nan aperture of our business and gathering consumers wherever they are today.

“If I thought that Beyond, successful our original worth proposition, were struggling during a play erstwhile nan domiciled of subject and nationalist sermon and societal media, media and authorities was pronounced and effective, erstwhile our pricing and economical stableness and buying powerfulness are each favourable and nan American governmental scenery were characterised by a consciousness of communal crushed versus nan imagination and Beyond were really suffering, I would beryllium very concerned for our semipermanent prospects and for nan plant-based nutrient class overall. But nary of that is true, right?”

He added: “One of nan things that is astir important for our business successful position of what’s impacting it is this benignant of situation sound of pseudoscientific motto and positioning and promotion that really overwhelms what is decades and decades and decades of science. I deliberation thing successful our lane is [a] much evident practice of this troubling inclination than nan resurgence of reddish meat.

“But nan bully news is that this is simply a pendulum, it’s going to plaything and it’s going to plaything backmost and I’m very comfortable that Beyond will prosper erstwhile it does. But I’m not going to hold astir for that. Because of nan activity we’ve done, peculiarly complete nan past 10 years, to really lead nan class and processing highly clean, patient products, we’re really good positioned to look extracurricular nan class and return that technology, return that science, return that marque into segments and categories that are many, many, galore times nan size of nan plant-based nutrient category.”