If you had to read The Jungle in high school, you would know how bad the meat packing industry was. Immigrant communities who worked in early meat packing plants were ignored. Technology changes but history can often repeat itself.
Maker of plant-based meat products Beyond Meat has been hit with several exposes at the beginning of the week about its ongoing financial struggles, but came out swinging Monday with a report that the company's Pennsylvania plant has had major problems with mold andbacteria The issues have been present for a while. There appears to be mold on containers, boxes, and walls in the factory according to photos and documents provided by a former employee.
Former Devault employees joined Beyond Meat when it bought the co-packer facility in 2020. The founder and CEO told investors that they would be able to process its current alternative meat products and bring new products to the market.
There are documents that show that 11 of the 56 product tests from June 2021 to June 2022, contained the harmful pathogen listeria. Two other unnamed former employees confirmed that there was a case of the disease in May. According to The Food and Drug Administration, there is a risk of food poisoning if you eat raw food with listeria.
There were multiple instances of cross-contamination with products, of passed expiration dates, and foreign products being found inside Beyond Meat products, according to documents. The last time debris was found in their products was in December of last year.
The company tracked them. There was a recall of Beyond Meat burgers in Canada in April of this year. Gizmodo didn't know which Beyond Meat factories supplied Canadian Costcos.
The photos and documents could not be verified by Gizmodo. A Beyond Meats spokesman spoke to Gizmodo.
“Our food safety and product quality management protocols are stringent, going above and beyond industry and regulatory standards. The most recent Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspections of the facility (in March and September 2022) found no instances of nonconformance with regulations, and we remain in good standing with the department. In addition, audits conducted by accredited third-party auditors, including most recently in May 2022, gave the plant the highest possible rating in each of the last three years.”
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the last time they visited the plant was in September to get the company to pay up for its annual $35 registration. The agency conducted a limited inspection after the reporters contacted them. If the DOA can give more information after Nov. 17, we will update the story.
Beyond Meat has seen a downturn of late, despite the fact that plant-based meats seem to be the latest craze. About 200 employees were cut after the company experienced degrading profits. According to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, the company is indicative of the entire plant-based meat industry. Some past high-level employees took issue with CEO Brown for his focus on growth at the expense of knowing how to actually produce the product. The number of people buying plant-based meat alternatives has been stagnant, according to researchers.
The plant is located in Charleston township, which is 45 minutes from Philadelphia, and residents have complained about odors and noise coming from the plant. Expansion plans are on hold due to the company's poor financial condition.
Beyond Meat has an R&D center in California and a factory in China. The company's product is made in Columbia, Missouri before being shipped to its co-manufacturing and packaging plants in Pennsylvania.
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