Beyond Meat is changing its brand to just Beyond.

The El Segundo maker of plant-based proteins that look and taste like meat changed its website and social channels last week to reflect its new full name: Beyond the Plant Protein Co.

"We are not moving away from making plant-based meat. This is a strategic expansion of our portfolio into additional protein categories," Beyond spokesperson Shira Zackai said in an email.

In an Instagram post announcing the change, the company repeatedly described its products as "clean."

"We start at the farm with clean and simple, non-GMO ingredients like yellow peas, red lentils and faba beans," the post read. "We love clean protein and fiber."

In an August quarterly earnings call, Beyond Chief Executive Ethan Brown said the shortened name "provides for reduced emphasis on facsimile, a now-complicated frame that overshadows the real, high-quality protein offerings we provide to consumers."

The change also would give the company more freedom to "meet broader consumer protein needs," Brown said on the call.

The rebranding is part of a pivot to underscore its strength in protein, which is hot right now.

The company launched a line of sparkling protein beverages in January. It plans to launch a protein bar this summer.

Beyond, founded in 2009 and known primarily for its pea-protein burger patties and steaks, has had some turbulent times recently.

In October, the company's stock collapsed to less than $1 per share after a debt deal, down from its peak of nearly $235 per share in 2019.

Its products were in high demand early on during the pandemic, but inflation at the supermarket has made U.S. consumers less willing to spend on premium-priced products.

It reemerged as a meme stock later that month — with shares briefly shooting to a high of $3.62 — but the mania quickly faded. The shares fell to 76 cents Monday.

The company's current struggles come amid a viral "proteinmaxxing" diet trend — one that nutrition experts have cautioned against.

Meat sales are on the rise: in 2025, Americans bought 2% more meat by volume than they did in 2024, according to a report last week from the Meat Institute and FMI — the Food Industry Assn.

In January, the Trump administration overhauled federal dietary guidelines to urge Americans to eat more meat and consume more full-fat dairy, dismissing a Biden-era committee's recommendation to prioritize plant-based protein such as peas, beans and lentils over animal sources.

Republican lawmakers' framing of meat alternatives as "synthetic" may have played a role in driving animal meat back to the center of American plates.

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