Beyond Meat, Inc. makes food products that provide plant-based protein but resemble meat. But how much protein do the Beyond Meat products contain? And are the products all natural? The complaint for this class action alleges that the company has made misleading claims and omissions about its products, which it says do not provide the amount of protein advertised and contain artificial ingredients.
The class for this action is all persons in the US who, between June 9, 2019 and the present, bought the Beyond Meat products for personal use and not for resale. A Texas subclass has also been defined, for this in the above class who are citizens of Texas. The products include the following:
- Beyond Burger Plant-Based Patties
- Beyond Breakfast Sausage
- Beyond Jerky
- Beyond Sausage
- Beyond Beef Crumbles
- Beyond Ground Beef
- Beyond Beef Mince
- Beyond Chicken
- Beyond Meatballs
The Beyond Meat products are made primarily of plant proteins that come from peas, mung beans, fava beans, and brown rice, along with other ingredients. The complaint quotes the company’s CEO as saying that the products contain “nothing artificial” and quotes other advertising as saying that “our products deliver greater or equal levels of protein than their animal-based counterparts.”
Per-serving amounts of protein are often listed on the packaging—for example, the patties packaging, shown on page 9 of the complaint, advertises “20G of Plant Protein Per Serving.” The Nutrition Facts label lists this as 40% of the Daily Value (%DV) of protein, which is 46g for women and 56g for men.
However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that food labeling must not simply list the amount of raw protein in the product but must take into consideration the amount of protein the body can get from digesting the food. This is done by calculating the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) and then stating the %DV of the protein.
A PDCAAS score of 1.0 would mean that one gram of raw protein provides one gram of protein when digested. But the patties are made from pea protein, which has a PDCAAS of only 0.67, according to the complaint, which means that the number of grams of raw protein must be divided by 0.67. Because the Beyond Meat Nutritional Facts labels do not make this calculation, the complaint alleges the amount of protein consumers get from the products is much lower than the amount advertised.
As to the products being all natural, the complaint alleges they contain methylcellulose. While the company describes it as “a plant fiber derivative,” the complaint calls it “a chemical compound” and “a synthetically made filler used in processed foods as a cheap additive that allows food manufacturers [to] increase weight and add texture without adding nutritional benefits.”
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Beyond Meat Protein Content and All Natural Claims Complaint
January 13, 2023
Beyond Meat, Inc. makes food products that provide plant-based protein but resemble meat. But how much protein do the Beyond Meat products contain? And are the products all natural? The complaint for this class action alleges that the company has made misleading claims and omissions about its products, which it says do not provide the amount of protein advertised and contain artificial ingredients.
Beyond Meat Protein Content and All Natural Claims ComplaintCase Event History
Beyond Meat Protein Content and All Natural Claims Complaint
January 13, 2023
Beyond Meat, Inc. makes food products that provide plant-based protein but resemble meat. But how much protein do the Beyond Meat products contain? And are the products all natural? The complaint for this class action alleges that the company has made misleading claims and omissions about its products, which it says do not provide the amount of protein advertised and contain artificial ingredients.
Beyond Meat Protein Content and All Natural Claims Complaint