USA’s Biggest Meat Producer Backs Beyond Meat, a Plant-Based Protein Company

Tyson Foods, the biggest meat producer in the country (especially in chicken, pork, and beef), is not especially well-known for its non-meat products. (Except maybe plastic.) But The New York Times reports that the company is diversifying by investing in Beyond Meat, a company that’s seeking to flat-out replace what Tyson does with its own vegan products that are supposedly so meat-like they “bleed“.

It’s not clear exactly how much money Tyson invested in Beyond Meat, though the Times says however much it did invest was enough to secure a 5 percent stake. Tyson isn’t the only enormous food company to jump into Beyond Meat’s arms; in 2013, General Mills invested as well.

Those on both sides of the meat/plant divide might be curious about the pairing. For its part, Tyson simply says that Beyond Meat makes a great product and that it’s a good investment. The founder of Beyond Meat, Ethan Brown, says that this influx of money is part of an attempt to go more mainstream, to get their product in more stores. (He does not really address the strange juxtaposition of Tyson and Beyond Meat any more than that.)

Whether there will be any interplay between Tyson and Beyond Meat beyond the funding is not clear at this time; Tyson says there are no immediate plans to help with production or anything like that. But will Beyond Meat buyers treat the investment so lightly?