Beyond Meat prepares for drinks launch as losses begin to slow

Beyond Meat Q1 2026 summary

• Beyond Meat sales volumes fell 19.5 percent though margins improved
• Foodservice drove declines with volumes falling over thirty percent globally
• Retail performance stabilised with international sales edging up 0.3 percent
• Beyond Meat shifts strategy from meat mimicry toward plant protein
• High protein drinks launch planned summer targeting GLP-1 users

Beyond Meat has experienced significant struggles in recent years, witnessing consistent falling revenues and sales woes.

Little more than a month ago, the plant-based company reported a 2025 of low sales as consumers increasingly distrust the plant-based category.

The company has recently begun to reposition itself as focused more on plant protein than meat mimicry, announcing Beyond Ground, whose selling point is its protein rather than meatiness, and even Beyond Immerse, a range of high-protein drinks. These products are, however, yet to be available to the broader public.

In 2026, Beyond Meat is gearing up to make this transition a reality. But the US company is still grappling with falling sales, with the headwinds of previous years having far from vanished.

Beyond Meat continues to see falling sales, but some signs of recovery

Beyond Meat’s sales continued to fall. The volume of products sold dropped by 19.5% in the quarter, partially offset by a 5.4% increase in net revenue per pound.

These losses were mainly down to foodservice. Volumes in this area fell by 31.8% in the US. Even internationally, where performance was stronger elsewhere, foodservice sales saw a decline of 32.6%. Burger and chicken alternative products in particular saw weak sales in this area.

Points of distribution in the US were reduced, as the popularity of the plant-based category continued to decline.

However, it wasn’t all bad for the company. Sales in retail performed significantly better than in foodservice. International retail sales actually increased, albeit only by 0.3%. This was driven in part by improved demand and more distribution in European markets.

The company also reported a gross margin of 3.4%, compared with -10.1% in the year-ago period. This is in part due to the fact that manufacturing expenses have gone down, according to Beyond Meat.

Net revenues are expected to be in the $60-65m range in Q2, suggests company CFO Lubi Kutua.

Low demand in the plant-based category continues to plague Beyond Meat. In the face of these falling sales, the company pushes forward its plans to reposition itself as a plant-protein company.

High-protein drinks slated for summer release

The company’s high-protein drinks range, Beyond Immerse, currently only available from Beyond Meat’s website, is slated for a New York launch in the summer with drinks distributor Big Geyser.

The drinks, designed with GLP-1 users in mind, are aimed at four functional drink categories, explains CEO Ethan Brown: protein drinks, fibre drinks, vitamin drinks and electrolyte drinks.

Nevertheless, despite these plans to reposition, Brown is adamant that Beyond Meat will not retreat from its core category of plant-based meat.

He suggests that if consumers can be drawn in by less controversial categories like functional drinks, they may be more enthused about the company’s plant-based meat products.