“Beyond Meat” Reportedly Struggling With Bacteria Issues
(PatriotWise.com) – One of the primary factories for the plant-based Beyond Meat is reportedly riddled with mold, bacteria, and other contamination problems, according to evidence leaked by a former employee.
Last Monday, Bloomberg reported that a leaked internal document showed Beyond Meat products manufactured at its plant near Philadelphia had tested positive for the Listeria bacteria at least 11 times during the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022.
The document was provided by a former employee of the company who was concerned about the conditions in the plant. Bloomberg reported that two additional former employees confirmed that Listeria had been found at the facility.
In addition to Listeria, the internal document stated that the Beyond Meat products produced at the plant contained various contaminants, including string, wood, metal, and plastic.
The Bloomberg report included photos from inside the plant that were also provided by a former employee showing “what appears to be spills, unsafe use of equipment, and mold on walls and ingredient containers.”
In one photo, mold can be seen growing on some of the containers in the plant while another photo shows a wheeled cart placed upside-down inside a large mixer.
Food safety expert William Madden of Whole Brain Consulting told Bloomberg that placing a cart that had been moving around the factory floor into a mixer was “begging for contamination.”
A spokesperson for Beyond Meat pushed back on the Bloomberg report, arguing that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture had inspected the facility in March and September and “found no instances of nonconformance with regulations.”
According to the spokesperson’s statement, Beyond Meat’s safety standards exceed “industry and regulatory standards.” However, the spokesperson did not address the specific details contained in the leaked documents.
The Bloomberg report is just the latest headache for the “meat alternative” company. Shares of Beyond Meat have declined nearly 80 percent since January as demand for plant-based meat alternatives has cooled.
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