Business Wars Beyond Meat vs Impossible Burger | We've Got Beef | 5
14 snips
Jan 8, 2026 
In this discussion, Deena Shanker, a Bloomberg Businessweek reporter, dives into the tumultuous journey of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, revealing their marketing missteps and fluctuating consumer trust. She highlights how meme stock status impacted Beyond Meat and outlines fundamental challenges, including bankruptcy rumors. Investigative journalist Clint Rainey then unveils alleged disinformation tactics from 'Big Beef' targeting these companies, exploring the role of industry PR and social media influencers in shaping public perception. Together, they illustrate a fierce battle for the future of plant-based meat.
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Early Buzz Didn’t Guarantee Repeat Buyers
- Early plant-based burgers felt like a major leap over prior veggie patties and generated huge consumer buzz.
- Deena Shanker notes initial excitement was real but sustaining repeat purchases proved difficult as curiosity faded.
Chasing Beef Expanded The Market — And Risk
- Companies targeted meat-eaters to maximize total addressable market (TAM) by emulating beef.
- Shanker argues that chasing beef consumers expanded ambition but made sustainable adoption harder.
Actual Buyers Were Mostly Non‑Meat Eaters
- The committed buyer base turned out to be non-meat-eaters, not mainstream meat-eaters.
- That group is small and divided, limiting large-scale adoption according to Shanker.
