Plant-based nutrition is slowly taking over the world. One survey revealed that 2% of Americans identify as vegan. However, plant-based foods are now in 53% of US households. Acquiring a plant-based diet resolves Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Plant-based nutrition also reduces inflammation, gut health and improves cognitive function.
Over the past several decades, plant-based products have become gradually more popular and commonplace.
Today, we will be examining Beyond Meat and other plant-based industry leaders.
Beyond Meat is a plant-based company founded in El Segundo, California, in 2009 by Ethan Brown. Over the past 12 years, the company has expanded into global markets like Canada and the UK. Beyond Meat has secured significant partnerships with fast-food giants such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut.
Here is a list of Beyond Meat’s Competitors:
#1. Impossible Foods
- Founded: 2011
- Headquarters: Redwood City, California
Need To Know
Impossible Foods is the closest competitor to Beyond Meat. In 2016, they became known worldwide for their iconic Impossible Burger. This vegan company also offers sausages and pork. Impossible Foods creates their food product by using genetically engineered heme extracted from soy protein. This is the crucial ingredient that sets their products apart from Beyond Meat. However, they recently received some backlash in 2020 when the Center for Food Safety sued Impossible Foods for using unhealthy heme. The backlash was settled not long afterward when the FDA stepped in and proved that Impossible Foods’ heme is safe for human consumption in 2021.
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#2. Hormel Foods
- Founded: 1891
- Headquarter: Austin, Minnesota
Need To Know
Hormel Foods is a global food company based in the US that owns over 30 brands and employs over 20,000 people. Hormel foods are best known for Skippy, Spam, Applegate, and Columbus. In 2019, Hormel Goods launched their plant-based meat brand – Happy Little Plants. They now compete with Beyond Meat and several other top plant-based companies. 202 was one of their best years yet. In the first six months of 2021, the company’s sales increased by 28% to $5.1 billion, earning the company $450 million in profits.
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#3. Cargill
- Founded: 1865
- Headquarters: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Need To Know
Cargill is a family-owned farm product distributor. Cargill produces glucose syrups, fats for processes foods, and vegetable oils. The company operates in 66 countries and has over 160,000 employees. 2020 was Cargill’s most profitable year with $6.3 billion in profits. In 2021, Cargill was sued for child labor. Despite the US Supreme Court siding with Cargill, this case permanently tainted their pristine reputation.
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#4. Oatly
- Founded: 1994
- Headquarters: Malmo, Sweden
Need To Know
Oatly is the largest oat milk company in the world. The Swedish brand produces plant-based dairy product alternatives from oats. With over 25 years in the industry, Oatly is a force to be reckoned with. Oatly sells vegan products, including ice cream, yogurt, and milk. Oat has roughly 200 employees and offers vegan products in 60,000 retail stores worldwide. Oat milks like Oatly have a significantly lower impact on the environment than Almond Milk. It takes one-sixth of the water to grow a pound of oats as it grows a pound of almonds.
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#5. Quorn
- Founded: 1983
- Headquarters: North Yorkshire, UK
Need To Know
Quorn is a plant-based company that offers meat substitutes derived from fungus. The company first introduced its products to the UK market in 1993 and shortly expanded into North America in 2002. In 2021, Quorn revealed its plan to address climate change and carbon emissions. Their recent campaign marketed their products as the “eco-friendly” option. Quorn’s wide variety of products makes them a direct competitor to Beyond Meat.
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#6. Eat JUST
- Founded: 2011
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Need To Know
Eat JUST is a no-kill food meat company founded initially as Hampton Creek and rebranded in 2016 to Eat JUST after being criticized for inflating its sales. Eat JUST also offers plant-based eggs. EAT JUST was the first company of its kind to sell no-kill meats. No-kill meat refers to “lab-grown” meat that contains real meat grown from cells derived from living animals.
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#7. Very Good Food Company (VGF)
- Founded: 2017
- Headquarters: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Need To Know
The Very Good Food Company is an up-and-coming plant-based food tech company. All of the made products are under the Very Good Butchers brand. VGF recently acquired The Cultured Nut to expand into the plant-based cheese market. In June 2021, the company secured a massive deal with Copper Branch, to sell its products across Canada.
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#8. Upside Foods
- Founded: 2015
- Headquarters: Berkeley, California
Need To Know
Upside Foods, formerly known as Memphis Meats, produces cell-based meat products. Its cultured chicken is a popular alternative to Beyond Meat’s plant-based meats. Upside Foods is currently working to bring their lab-grown meatballs to the market, which will increase their competitive edge. Upside Foods18 million dollars is best known as being a leader in “animal cell culture technology.”
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#9. Finless Foods
- Founded: 2017
- Headquarters: Emeryville, California
Need To Know
Finless foods if a cell-cultured seafood company. The company is currently working to bring plant-based tuna to the US Market by 2022. The company plans to compete with Beyond Meat for market share. Despite being one of the leading companies in the cell-cultured seafood space, they have not yet completed regulatory approval for their products.
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#10. Gold & Green Foods
- Founded: 2015
- Headquarters: Helsinki, Finland
Need To Know
Gold & Green Foods is a food technology company that makes sustainable plant-based products. After partnering with Sysco in 2020 to expand into the US market, their sales increased by over $5 Million. Gold & Green Foods is the first company to produce plant-based meats using oats as their primary ingredient.
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#11. New Wave Foods
- Founded: 2015
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Need To Know
New Wave Foods is a company that produces plant-based fish products. Despite still being a start-up with roughly 30 employees, New Wave Foods raised $18 million in its first funding round in January 2021. The company’s first product was New Wave Shrimp, which is made of seaweed and plant protein.
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#12. Hungry Planet
- Founded: 2016
- Headquarters: St. Louis, USA
Need To Know
What began as a passion project is now taking over the USA. Hungry Planet is a company that produces plant-based meats that enhance personal health and increase animal well-being. Hungry Planet is now in thousands of restaurants across the US, Australia, New Zealand, and more!
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#13. Kellogg’s
- Founded: 1906
- Headquarters: Battle Creek, Michigan
Need To Know
Kellogg’s is a food manufacturing giant. Kellogg’s is best known for its popular brands like Frosted Flakes, Krave and Pringles. Kellogg’s vegan brands include MorningStar Farms and Incogmeato. Both of their vegan brands are leading producers of plant-based breakfast meat products and veggie burgers in the US. In 2020, Kellogg’s generated $400 million in plant-based product sales.