Judge slashes Beyond Meat's damages by $23.4M in Dunkin' trademark lawsuit. By Anay Mridul Published on Sep 23, 2026 Last updated Sep 23, 2026 4 Mins Read A judge in Massachusetts has reduced Beyond Meat's financial liability in a trademark lawsuit over a Dunkin' ad, axing $23.4M of the overall $38.9M awarded by a jury last year. Months after a jury found Beyond Meat liable to pay nearly $39M for infringing a trademark owned by Sonate (which does business as Vegadelphia Foods), a federal judge has accepted the plant-based meat company's motion to reduce the damages awarded. The sum included $23.5M in actual damages for the infringement, and another $15.4M in disgorgement of its profits. At the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Justice Indira Talwani cut the amount Beyond owes for the former by $23.4M, totalling just $37,500. Both sides can pursue further motions or appeals to the judgment. But as it stands, Beyond - which was sued over its use of the slogans "Great Taste, Plant-Based" and "Plant-Based, Great Taste" in an advertisement for the Beyond Sausage sandwich at Dunkin' - now needs to pay Vegadelphia $15.44 million, a 60% cut from the jury's original award. Beyond Meat's infringement didn't substantially impact Vegadelphia's valuation. The case emanates from Beyond's 2019 partnership with Dunkin', which introduced the Beyond Sausage breakfast sandwich. on its menu. The companies promoted the dish with a commercial featuring American rapper Snoop Dogg and the tagline "Great Taste, Plant-Based" But Vegadelphia, which also sells plant-based meat and was incorporated five years before Beyond, had received a federal trademark for its slogan "Where Great Taste Is Plant-Based" in 2015. So it claimed that Beyond and Dunkin' were using its trademark without permission, arguing that it led to the collapse of acquisition talks with two food industry executives - a deal dubbed "Vegadelphia 2.0" - that could have valued the company at $100M within a few years. The lawsuit was filed in 2022, and Dunkin' settled the case in 2024. Beyond, however, felt the slogans wouldn't cause market confusion and instead accurately described its products. The latter's attorneys suggested that the use of the two phrases in question was distinct enough not to cause a legal issue. But last year, a jury disagreed with the claims that the slogans constituted fair use and were sufficiently different, dismissing Beyond's assertion that Vegadelphia's phrase was a "weak mark" with "no commercial strength" and ruling that the Dunkin' ad would likely confuse consumers. After the verdict in November, Beyond filed a motion to either reduce or eliminate the damages owed, while Vegadelphia sought prejudgment interest and an increase in the disgorgement award. Talwani granted Beyond's request in part, and denied both of the latter's motions. "No reasonable jury could find it probable, based on non-speculative evidence, that Beyond's infringement of Sonate's trademark was a substantial factor in the abandonment of Vegadelphia 2.0," she stated in her ruling. Beyond eyes turnaround following end of latest legal dispute. This is far from the first legal battle the Beyond Burger maker has been embroiled in. In 2024, it settled a class-action lawsuit for $7.5M against claims that it had overstated its products' nutritional benefits, since the protein digestibility of its meat analogues was lower than that of conventional meat. And last year, a judge threw out a class-action lawsuit by investors who alleged the company misled them about its manufacturing capacities, leading to artificially inflated stock prices. Beyond has also won a legal dispute against a former co-manufacturer over the termination of a production agreement, with a judge validating its decision to end the deal and denying the latter's request to reopen the arbitration. At the same time, it is being investigated by a law firm for "potential violations of the federal securities laws". The 15.4M sum it owes to Vegadelphia, though reduced, is still substantial for a financially distressed company like Beyond. For context, it posted revenues of $68.8M in Q2 2026 - the damages account for 22% of this amount. The company has suffered from six consecutive quarters of shrinking revenue and a record-low share price that needed an artificial boost just to stay afloat on the Nasdaq market. To revive its fortunes, it has expanded, well, beyond meat to offer sparkling protein drinks, protein powders and bars, as well as veggie burgers. * Anay Mridul Anay is Green Queen's resident news reporter. Originally from India, he worked as a vegan food writer and editor in London, and is now travelling and reporting from across Asia. He's passionate about coffee, plant-based milk, cooking, eating, veganism, food tech, writing about all that, profiling people, and the Oxford comma. View all posts

Beyond Meat launches protein powder. The week Beyond Meat put a plant protein powder on sale, USDA's Dairy Market News reported buyers struggling to secure any available product in the whey market, with whey protein concentrate 34% trading between $2.05 and $2.90 a pound and whey protein isolate holding at $14 and above. Beyond Meat launched the Phytosphere on September 9, a nutrition portfolio sold through a new direct-to-consumer store at BeyondPlantProtein.com. It moves the company into protein powder and savory protein bars, alongside a vegetable-forward burger and the Beyond Immerse sparkling protein drink. Founder and CEO Ethan Brown said the lineup makes phytonutrition "cutting edge, delicious, and convenient." What it costs. Beyond Starmatter has 20g of protein, 5g of fiber, and a 1,000mg phytonutrient blend per serving, priced at $59 for a 20-serving pouch or $53.10 on a monthly subscription. Four flavors are live and Golden Latte is listed as coming soon. Beyond Starcut is a jerky-style bar made with plant protein and mycelium, 17g of protein and 3g of fiber per bar, at $22.50 for six or $39 for 12. Beyond Immerse runs $45.99 for a 12-pack at 20g of protein and 110 calories a can. Beyond Veggie, a burger built on more than 10 fruits and vegetables with 500mg of plant sterols per serving, sells for $13.99. At full price, a serving of Beyond Meat protein powder costs roughly $2.95. How it is being sold. Beyond Meat built the Phytosphere on Shopify, and the storefront runs the playbook a seed-stage brand runs in month three. There is a free-shipping progress bar, a subscribe-and-save toggle at 10% off, four curated bundles named On-the-Go, Essentials, Performance, and Elite, a build-your-own-bundle tool, and an email capture for early access. The Essentials bundle sells for $180. The product pages borrow from the supplement aisle as well. Beyond Meat publishes its heavy-metal release limits for Starmatter against California Proposition 65 thresholds, states that every lot goes to an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab before release, and notes a Prop 65 warning on every bag. Why now. Brown told investors in August that the company is repositioning around Beyond The Plant Protein Company to pursue "faster-growing adjacent categories," with Beyond Immerse as the first product through that door. The quarter behind that statement showed net revenues of $68.8 million, down 8.2% year over year, gross margin of 8.5%, and U.S. retail revenue down 9.9% to $29.6 million. What to watch. Beyond Immerse took a route most founders would recognize. It has sold direct nationwide and reached the New York metro through beverage distributor Big Geyser, and in August it landed at Erewhon, the 14-store Southern California chain. Whether Starmatter and Starcut take the same path into stores is the thing to track. A company built on grocery shelf space and restaurant menus is now testing price, repeat rate, and flavor demand on its own site, before a category buyer ever weighs in. The funding rounds, founder moves, and industry shifts you need to know in plant-based and sustainability. Plus event invites and founder stories worth reading. We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.