A series of class-action lawsuits alleging Deceptive practices by Beyond Meat will be heard in Chicago as a single case, a court ruled Wednesday.
The suit alleges Beyond Meat, Inc., a plant-based meat-substitute, miscalculates and overstates the protein content in its foods, and misleads consumers about the nutritional benefits, compared to traditional meat products.
The lead complaint filed in September alleges that a method of testing a product's protein content through an interaction with a nitrogen compound reveals that some Beyond Meat products contain less protein than what is required to be shown on a label.
Defendant s Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground 16 oz Patties, which is labeled as '20 G per serving and '40% DV' for protein, actually contains 19 G per serving by nitrogen testing and 7% DV for protein, the complaint states.
In the last fall, Beyond Meat announced it would be laying off 200 workers. That was in addition to a 4% reduction in its workforce announced in August. According to the food industry news website FoodDive, Beyond Meat, Inc. has missed revenue targets and has cut its annual projections.
Its nearest rival, Impossible Foods, has struggled and this week announced it will cut its workforce by 20%.
A recent Bloomberg News feature called plant-based meat alternatives a flop, quoting one analyst as saying regular meat-eating consumers are just not that into it.