If you’ve been in the grocery frozen aisle recently you may have noticed something new in the breakfast section. Beyond Meat just rolled out a completely reformulated Beyond Breakfast Sausage lineup and it just landed in stores.
The new lineup has three products: Original Patties, Spicy Patties, and Original Links. All three are now made with avocado oil, which is a notable change from the previous formula. The links bump up to 9g of protein per serving, the patties come in at 7g, and everything across the board is soy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and cholesterol-free. Patties are slightly larger now but quantities for each pack seem the same as before. Packaging has moved to a resealable bag which some have been asking for, but it’s worth noting that they were in cardboard boxes previously so this seems like a less eco friendly option.
The saturated fat reduction is actually the bigger story. The new formula cuts saturated fat by 89% compared to the previous version, going from 4.5g down to 0.5g per serving. The sodium reduction numbers are significant too. The Original Patties advertise 58% less sodium than traditional breakfast sausage, the Spicy Patties come in at 47% less, and the Links at 45% less. Beyond also earned Clean Label Project Certification with this reformulation, which they say makes this the first plant-based breakfast sausage line to do so and The American Heart Association Heart-Check recognition is also notable.
I have not tried them yet but reviews so far have been mixed with some saying they preferred the previous versions to these.
Beyond Has Been Struggling
Beyond Meat is going through a tough period. Revenue hit its lowest annual total in 2025, down about 16.5% year over year. The stock has hit all-time lows and the company received a Nasdaq compliance warning. The company also recently rebranded from Beyond Meat to Beyond The Plant Protein Company, although it’s unclear if this is a legal name change or more of a marketing tagline. I’ve not seen it on any new products yet so time will tell how they plan to use it.
Part of their new direction includes a line of sparkling protein drinks called Beyond Immerse. I tried them at Expo West and they’re interesting but left a bit of an aftertaste for me. Flavors were tasty but protein drinks in general usually have a distinct flavor. So are they diversifying smartly or spreading thin at a moment when they probably need to focus? Unclear, but launching revamped breakfast sausages and a new drinks line at the same time paints a picture of a brand that’s perhaps throwing a few things at the wall and hoping something sticks.
There was a time not too long ago that Beyond was the exciting new thing everyone was talking about. The novelty has worn off for a lot of people and the whole plant-based meat category has struggled. That doesn’t mean their products aren’t good or that the brand doesn’t matter, but it feels like they might be trying too hard to get people back one product at a time.
Are You Following the Little Cow in a Cape on Threads?
This part of the Beyond story doesn’t get enough attention from the vegan food world, and it’s actually kind of remarkable.
The Beyond Meat Threads account has become one of the more talked-about brand social media ones out there right now. It’s run by a guy named Kevin Farzad, posting as the voice of a little cow in a cape. If you haven’t seen it, take a look. Kevin posts like a person, not a brand manager, and the audience has responded in a big way. The account currently has around 380K followers on Threads and Meta even invited Kevin to speak at their first-ever Threads conference in New York City.
What makes this relevant beyond just being a fun social media story is what people are saying in the comments. Things like “I bought Beyond because of the little cow on Threads.” First-time buyers showing up saying a goofy cow persona convinced them to grab something out of the freezer aisle. That’s actually moving product for a brand that’s been struggling a bit.
Kevin has talked about how the account almost happened by accident, that it started because he genuinely enjoyed Threads and just leaned into what was working. He drafts posts, runs things by his wife and one coworker, and tries to keep it feeling personal. Whether his antics are enough to turn the company’s numbers around is a real question but as a creative bright spot in a tough media landscape, it’s an enjoyable and easy follow.
So is Beyond Moving Beyond Their Original Mission?
It’s a mixed picture. The original mission was pretty simple. Make plant-based meat so good that meat eaters would choose it. That was the whole bet. And for a while it worked. Beyond burgers were on menus at fast food chains, the stock was through the roof, and the category felt like it was on the verge of changing everything.
Then it didn’t. The novelty wore off, the category softened, competitors multiplied, and the macro environment turned against them. Now they’re in a position where they have to figure out if doubling down on what they built is the right move or if the company needs to evolve into something broader to survive.
Honestly I don’t think anyone outside of the company knows the answer to that yet, including possibly Beyond. What I do know is that these new breakfast sausages seem better by ingredients but perhaps not on taste, the little cow on Threads is bringing in new customers in a way their traditional marketing never did, and the brand might have more goodwill in the vegan community than their stock price would suggest.
I feel Beyond is still a brand worth rooting for even if their path forward seems a little unclear right now. They’re a personal favorite of mine so I for one will be watching with hopeful anticipation.
The new breakfast sausages should be rolling out to Whole Foods, Kroger, and Sprouts stores as well as some regional retailers now. As for when the protein drinks may hit shelves, I’ll hopefully be the first to post them when they do.
