1224 ET - Beyond Meat's expansion into nutritional drinks may not pay off, and betrays a weak outlook for the company's core plant-based meat business, Mizuho analyst John Baumgartner writes in a note. Plant-based protein drinks seem to have limited traction given taste and consistency challenges, and the space requires a different go-to-market model, he writes. The company's less-than-successful move into beef jerky in 2022 adds to the skepticism around its ability to execute this brand reframing. "We remain very skeptical of BYND's foray into the space given minimal traction from plant-based formulations," Baumgartner writes. "We view BYND's apparent emerging push into the active nutrition space as the clearest indication yet of eroding prospects for secular growth in the core plant-based meat category." Shares slide 8.9%. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 02, 2026 12:24 ET (17:24 GMT)

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