Internal photos and documents released have revealed unsanitary conditions at the Pennsylvania production facility of California-based plant-based meat producer Beyond Meat. These documents have been submitted to the press by a former employee and have been corroborated by two others.

The images revealed material spills, hazardous use of equipment, and what appeared to be mold on the walls and ingredient containers. Further, internal documents unveiled that Beyond Meat products have tested positive for Listeria 11 times between H2 2021 and H1 2022. The spreadsheets also revealed the discovery of materials such as wood, metal, plastic, and string in food produced at the plant as recently as December 2021.

In defense of these allegations, Beyond Meat claimed its facility was inspected by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in March and September where no instances of nonconformance with regulations were found. In addition, the highest possible ratings were granted in the previous three years during audits performed by accredited third-party auditors according to the company.