Do you think they are still doing a good job?
I do. I think they changed the narrative. I think they took something that was a threat to them and characterized it in a negative way. And I think people believe in it, so I think it was effective. Yes.
I’m in the UK, where for several years I’ve been able to buy the McPlant burger with a Beyond patty at McDonald’s. How did it happen that it was discontinued in the USA?
Uh. [Pauses.]
Without speaking specifically about McDonald’s – which I really don’t want to – let’s think about the structure of the United States. You have [Michigan]you have South Carolina and Tennessee for the automotive industry, right? These three states and a few others could be really powerful in Washington.
Now imagine a lobby that exists in almost every state. Agricultural industry lobby, right? Animal protein lobby. They have such power over Washington. So here in the United States, we will have a different environment in terms of being able to communicate directly with the consumer. Overall, we do better with consumers in Europe than in the United States.
And speaking of Washington, RFK Jr. is Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. He is quite anti-processed food. How does Beyond fit into the Make America Fit Again program?
Honestly, this should be at the forefront, and there are a few things that really excite me about some of the perspectives I’m hearing.
If you look at the benefits to the human body and the environment, this is a mighty win. I believe we can convey that distinction to this administration.
The second piece is something that was earlier in Kennedy’s career, the concept of restoring nature. Our ability to enable the rewilding of much of the global landscape is unparalleled. The one statistic you should pay attention to is that 93 percent less land is used to create our products than animal protein. You can exploit that land, so not only are you removing methane, but you can exploit the remaining land to rewild and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Have you contacted RFK Jr.?
Not yet, but I expect it will happen.