Beyond Meat長期被視為全球「植物肉／人造肉」領域的先驅，它在美國上市後，一度被寄望能改變未來肉類消費的模式。這家公司在國際間曾備受矚目，甚至被視為科技與食品創新的象徵。在2020年，Beyond Meat正式把版圖擴張到中國市場，與多家連鎖餐飲品牌合作，並同時進入超市與零售通路。而且公司為展現本地化的決心，還在浙江嘉興興建工廠，期望以本地生產降低成本與提升供應能力。Beyond Meat對中國市場的布局相當積極。

然而，風向從202年開始急轉直下。公司在2024年財報中呈現營收衰退與持續虧損的困境。根據公司在GlobeNewswire與官方投資者網站發布的公告，Beyond Meat的董事會在2025年2月24日正式決議暫停中國的全部營運活動，並在2025年第二季徹底退出中國市場。這項決定在當時已被視為公司在全球縮減成本、緊縮營運的關鍵一步。

時間來到2025年11月底， Beyond Meat先後關閉天貓、拼多多等平台上的官方旗艦店，嘉興工廠也全面停止運作，標誌著公司在中國市場的「最後一幕」。短短三年多的經營最終收場，這家曾被視為植物肉領域代表性的公司，最終不得不在中國黯然退場，

Beyond Meat為何在中國市場接受度如此低？答案牽涉價格、口感、消費文化與企業自身營運多重因素。首先是價格問題。Beyond Meat在中國的零售價格往往高達每公斤60元人民幣，而同一時間，許多大陸消費者在網路上反映，普通豬肉每公斤僅約20元左右。這樣的差距讓許多消費者直覺認為「假肉比真肉還貴」，沒有試吃動機，更遑論建立長期消費習慣。

其次是口感問題。植物肉主要以豌豆蛋白、大豆蛋白等原料製作，儘管在外觀上模仿真肉，但不少中國消費者在試吃後反映味道缺乏肉香、口感不夠彈韌，無法與真正的豬肉或牛肉相比。在中國這樣高度重視飲食風味的市場，如果偽肉無法真正滿足口腹需求，那麼高價就更難以被接受。

再者，植物肉在中國的目標客群本身就偏小。不同於歐美有大量素食者、健身族群、環保主義者等潛在用戶，中國的大眾飲食習慣依然以真肉為主。媒體分析認為，在消費者普遍不覺得「需要替代品」的情況下，植物肉很難形成大規模市場。這是一個文化與飲食背景決定的問題，並非企業投入資金即可改變。

而在企業端，Beyond Meat在全球多地面臨連年虧損、成本高企的壓力。中國市場需求疲弱，使公司在全球重整策略時，把中國視為優先「止血」的區域。這並不是單純的「中國市場失敗」，而是整個產業在面臨現實挑戰下不得不收縮的結果。

在中國網路上，許多消費者對此抱持相當務實的態度。網友常以一句「真肉二十元、假肉六十元」總結不願購買的理由。許多人即便願意嘗試，也因為口味差異及價格過高而放棄再次購買。還有不少人質疑：「我們本來就不缺肉，為什麼要吃比真肉更貴、味道還不如真的『像肉產品』？」

從更大層面來看，Beyond Meat的撤退是一則值得整個植物肉產業深思的警示。它代表著「理想」與「市場現實」之間的巨大鴻溝：即使有技術、有故事、有資金，也不一定能改變既有的飲食結構；價格定位若無法貼近大眾，就無法擴大市場；而替代品若不能接近真正的肉味，也難以真正取代。因此，Beyond Meat在中國的離場，不僅僅是一家公司失敗的故事，而是植物肉在中國遭遇現實文化與消費習慣挑戰的縮影。它揭露一個重要事實：創新固然令人期待，但要改變飲食文化，仍需要比技術更深層的理解與突破。

Beyond Meat has long been regarded as a global pioneer in the field of “plant-based meat / artificial meat.” After going public in the United States, it was once expected to reshape the future of meat consumption. The company attracted international attention and was even seen as a symbol of technological and food innovation. In 2020, Beyond Meat officially expanded into the Chinese market, partnering with multiple restaurant chains while also entering supermarkets and retail channels. To demonstrate its commitment to localization, the company even built a factory in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, hoping that local production would reduce costs and strengthen supply capacity. At that time, Beyond Meat’s expansion in China was considered highly aggressive.

However, starting around 2022, the situation began to decline rapidly. In its 2024 financial report, the company revealed falling revenue and continued losses. According to announcements published on GlobeNewswire and the company’s investor relations website, Beyond Meat’s board of directors decided on February 24, 2025, to suspend all operations in China, with full withdrawal scheduled for the second quarter of 2025. This decision was viewed as a key step in the company’s global cost-cutting and operational downsizing efforts.

By late November 2025, Beyond Meat had successively closed its official flagship stores on Tmall and Pinduoduo, and the Jiaxing factory had completely ceased operations, marking the “final chapter” of the company’s presence in China. After just over three years in the market, a company once considered a representative of the plant-based meat industry ultimately exited China in a subdued manner.

Why was Beyond Meat’s acceptance in China so low? The reasons involve price, taste, consumer culture, and the company’s own operational challenges. The first issue is price. Beyond Meat’s retail price in China often reached about 60 RMB per kilogram, while many mainland consumers pointed out online that ordinary pork cost only around 20 RMB per kilogram. Such a price gap led many to conclude that “fake meat is more expensive than real meat,” giving them little incentive to try it, let alone adopt it long-term.

The second issue is taste. Plant-based meat is mainly made from pea protein, soy protein, and similar ingredients. Although it visually imitates real meat, many Chinese consumers reported after tasting it that it lacked meat aroma and had an unsatisfying texture that could not compare with real pork or beef. In a market where food flavor is highly valued, a higher-priced product that fails to satisfy taste expectations becomes even harder to accept.

Another factor is the relatively small target consumer group for plant-based meat in China. Unlike Europe and the United States—where there are large populations of vegetarians, fitness enthusiasts, and environmentalists—mainland China’s mainstream diet still centers on real meat. Analysts believe that when most consumers do not feel they “need a substitute,” plant-based meat cannot form a major market. This is rooted in cultural and dietary traditions, not something that can be changed by corporate investment alone.

On the corporate side, Beyond Meat has been facing continuous losses and high costs in many global markets. Weak demand in China made the country an obvious choice for strategic withdrawal during the company’s global restructuring. This is not merely a “failure in the Chinese market,” but rather part of a broader industry-wide contraction in the face of real-world challenges.

On Chinese social media, many consumers reacted pragmatically. The phrase “real meat costs 20 yuan, fake meat costs 60 yuan” became a common summary of why they refused to buy it. Even those willing to try it often chose not to repurchase due to taste differences and high prices. Some questioned, “We don’t have a shortage of meat—why should we eat something more expensive and worse-tasting than real meat?”

From a broader perspective, Beyond Meat’s withdrawal serves as a warning to the entire plant-based meat industry. It highlights the gap between “idealism” and “market reality”: having technology, storytelling, and capital does not guarantee the ability to change dietary habits; pricing must match mainstream expectations to scale; and substitutes that fail to approach the flavor of real meat cannot truly replace it.

Therefore, Beyond Meat’s departure from China is not merely a story of one company failing—it reflects the deeper cultural and consumer behavior challenges facing plant-based meat in China. It reveals an important truth: innovation may be exciting, but transforming dietary culture requires far more than technology alone—it requires deep understanding, adaptation, and breakthroughs.