An organization that monitors the accuracy of advertising claims says that the maker of Beyond Meat is being untruthful when it says on its website that the plant-based products contain no “synthetically produced ingredients.”
To make its case, the advocacy group Truth in Advertising cites the presence of methylcellulose and the products’ “natural flavors,” which may include synthetic chemicals, the group says. Beyond Meat calls methylcellulose a “plant fiber derivative.”
Truth in Advertising cites a 2011 article on methylcellulose that says it doesn’t occur naturally and is produced by heating cellulose with a caustic solution and then treating it with methyl chloride. Natural flavors, “while derived from natural sources, such as plants, can comprise more than 100 chemicals, some of which may be synthetic,” says Truthinadvertising.org.
Beyond Meat didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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