Apparently even Tyson Foods has its doubts about the future of meat: The company has taken a 5 percent stake in Beyond Meat, which produces meat-esque products from ingredients like soy and peas. If you recall, this is the same Tyson that pollutes more water than any other American company, exposes its employees to “amputation hazards,” and which McDonald’s has disavowed for animal abuse.
It’s an unlikely match for Beyond Meat, which also now counts the Humane Society of the United States as an investor, after a $17 million fundraising round. But the company, which recently debuted a “fresh” veggie burger at Whole Foods, wants to go mainstream, and according to the founder, “get out of the penalty box that’s the ‘alternative’ section in the supermarket.” It’s for this reason that Beyond Meat added the former CEO of McDonald’s to its board — making for some awkward reunions within the veggie-tech revolution.
