Beyond Meat, Inc., a leader in plant-based meat, and the American Cancer Society (ACS), today announced a multi-year agreement to advance research on plant-based meat and cancer prevention, as well as to help ACS continue to build the foundation of plant-based meat and diet data collection. The commitment aims to advance the understanding of how plant-based meats contribute to healthy diet patterns and their potential role in cancer prevention and is a crucial step towards long-term research in the plant-based protein field.
“American Cancer Society guidelines have long recommended a diet rich in plant foods with limited intake of processed and red meat,” said William L. Dahut, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer at the American Cancer Society. “While short-term research studies have shown that switching to plant-based meat improves risk factors for heart disease, including cholesterol levels and body weight, research in this area is still in its early stages, particularly in relation to cancer.”
Furthering Research in Cancer Prevention
The agreement will help enable a continuation of ACS’ ongoing data collection in its Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) and help build a downstream cancer research portfolio that is critical to understanding whether plant-based proteins, including plant-based meat, can play a role in cancer prevention. ACS’ Cancer Prevention Studies help researchers identify cancer risk factors among its pool of more than 300,000 participants.
“We are honored to enter this agreement with the American Cancer Society, a leading authority on cancer research,” said Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown. “One of our core goals at Beyond Meat is to positively impact human health – and we’re committed to taking action by supporting trusted, scientific and evidence-based research on the benefits of shifting the protein at the center of the plate from animal-based meat to plant-based meat.”
Expanding Research on Plant-Based Meat
In 2020, the Stanford University School of Medicine announced the results of its SWAP-MEAT study. As published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers evaluated the impact of replacing animal-based meat with Beyond Meat’s plant-based meat over an eight week period on cholesterol levels (including LDL), heart disease risk factors including TMAO levels, and body weight, and found improvement in key health metrics when participants replaced animal-based meat with Beyond Meat’s plant-based meat.
“Beyond Meat and the American Cancer Society’s agreement is a critical step forward in conducting studies on cancer and plant-based meat in diets – a research area that has historically been lacking and builds upon the foundational research we’re doing as part of the Plant-Based Diet Initiative at the Stanford University School of Medicine,” said Christopher Gardner, PhD, Director of Nutrition Studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University.
The Link Between Red and Processed Meat and Cancer
Since 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified red meat as a carcinogen that increases the risk of colorectal cancer, and recent studies also suggest a possible role of red and/or processed meats in increasing the risk of breast cancer and certain forms of prostate cancer.
For years, the American Cancer Society investigators conducted foundational work identifying the link of red and processed meat to cancer. This work contributed evidence to the World Health Organization’s determination of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans and processed meat as carcinogenic to humans. ACS guidelines point to evidence of a significant link between high red and processed meat consumption and an increased risk of colorectal cancer as the primary reason for the recommendation to limit those products.
The American Cancer Society currently recommends limiting processed meats, red meats and choosing alternative protein sources. Research has also provided consistent and compelling evidence that healthy diet patterns incorporating more plant-based foods are linked with lower cancer risk and mortality. Outside of tobacco use, the most important cancer risk factors that can be changed are body weight, diet, and physical activity.
Beyond Meat is not involved and does not have input in the research or data collection of the American Cancer Society.
To learn more about the research work of the American Cancer Society, visit cancer.org/research.
About The American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 100 years, we have been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Beyond Meat
Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND) is a leading plant-based meat company offering a portfolio of revolutionary plant-based meats made from simple ingredients without GMOs, no added hormones or antibiotics, and 0 mg of cholesterol per serving. Founded in 2009, Beyond Meat products are designed to have the same taste and texture as animal-based meat while being better for people and the planet. Beyond Meat’s brand commitment, Eat What You Love®, represents a strong belief that there is a better way to feed our future and that the positive choices we all make, no matter how small, can have a great impact on our personal health and the health of our planet. By shifting from animal-based meat to plant-based protein, we can positively impact four growing global issues: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources and animal welfare. As of September 2022, Beyond Meat branded products were available at approximately 188,000 retail and foodservice outlets in over 85 countries worldwide. Visit www.BeyondMeat.com and follow @BeyondMeat, #BeyondBurger and #GoBeyond on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
Beyond Meat Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release constitute “forward-looking statements.” These statements are based on management’s current opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, not historical fact, and involve certain risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions. Actual results, levels of activity, performance, achievements and events could differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. While Beyond Meat believes that its assumptions are reasonable, it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and, of course, it is impossible to anticipate all factors that could affect actual results. There are many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements made herein including, most prominently, the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Beyond Meat’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 2, 2022, and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 1, 2022 filed with the SEC on November 10, 2022, as well as other factors described from time to time in Beyond Meat’s filings with the SEC. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release. Beyond Meat undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. If Beyond Meat does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that Beyond Meat will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
*The American Cancer Society does not endorse or support any product or service.
