Beyond Meat: Factory plagued by mold, listeria, and unsanitary conditions

The Pennsylvania facility of Beyond Meat is reportedly contaminated with mold, listeria, and other food-related safety problems, according to leaked internal documents and photos. The documents were leaked to Bloomberg on Monday, November 21, 2022.

The plant-based meat company is facing backlash (image via Beyond Meat)

Beyond Meat is a company that creates plant-based meat products in an attempt to reduce meat consumption. They create their faux meat using fava beans, mung beans, coconut oil, cocoa butter, potato starch, brown rice, and beetroot juice.

They promise no cholesterol, no hormones, and no antibiotics. They also state that their manufacturing products use less land, water, and energy, thereby generating fewer greenhouse gasses.

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Beyond Meat factory is riddled with contaminants - Leaked internal documents show severe food safety breach

Internal documents show that the plant-based facility located in Devault, Pennsylvania, tested positive for Listeria around eleven times between the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022.

If you consume food contaminated with listeria, you develop listeriosis, which can cause fever, chills, muscle aches, diarrhea, or an upset stomach. You can also experience headaches, confusion, loss of balance, or stiff necks. Sometimes, symptoms show a couple of months after consumption of the contaminated product.

Listeriosis symptoms explored (image via CDC)

Internal reports also claim that foreign materials such as wood, string, metal, and plastic have been found in the food between January and April. Photos also show the presence of mold and an overturned trolley cart in a large funnel that is connected to production equipment.

Bloomberg did not publish the report but did publish the images, both of which were provided by a former Beyond Meat employee. The images show what the reports claimed, which is:

“spills, unsafe use of equipment, and mold on walls and ingredient containers.”

A Beyond Meat representative responded to the publication, claiming that there were inspections done in March and September this year by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The representative claimed that these inspections showed no "nonconformance" to food safety regulations.

The representative continued to claim that the company "goes above and beyond industry and regulatory standards," but failed to address the specifics included in the documents and photos. They also claimed that the company received impeccable ratings during an audit and said:

“External third-party audits, including our most recent third-party audit in May 2022, gave the plant the highest-possible rating in each of the last three years.”

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2022 was not a poster year for Beyond Meat

This year brought with it a series of downfalls for the plant-based meat company. The company serves plant-based meat substitutes such as vegetarian sausages, fake chicken tenders, etc., and is found in most supermarkets. As of the second quarter of this year, they posted a net loss of $97.1 million.

They partnered with McDonald's to produce Beyond Meat burgers, which tanked after reporting diminishing sales. The slower-than-expected sales have led the company, which was valued at over $10 billion in 2019, to come crashing down. They were unable to meet their 33% growth rate this year despite introducing new products like Beyond Steak and Jerkies.

COO Doug Ramsey arrested for assaulting a man (Image via Washington County Jail)

Over 19% of their workforce was also laid off in October, which resulted in around 200 employees getting sacked. Their image was further tainted when the company's COO Doug Ramsey got into an argument in a parking garage after a football game.

After punching through the back window of the man's car, he allegedly bit a chunk of the other man's nose. Ramsey was arrested and subsequently suspended from his position.