One former executive for a plant-based Meat alternative company was taken into custody in the state of Arkansas this past Saturday for allegedly threatening another man and then proceeding to bite him on the nose.
53-year-old Doug Ramsey, who was promoted to the role of COO of Beyond Meat back in 2021, was officially charged with the issuing of terroristic threats and a charge of third-degree battery, according to a recent release reported on by local news outlet KNWA. The entire fight, which reportedly took place in a parking garage, sparked off in the wake of a Subaru allegedly making contact with the front tire of Ramsey’s vehicle.
Ramsey leaped out of his car and threw a punch at the back windshield, as stated by the report. When the driver of the Subaru vacated their vehicle as well, Ramsey “pulled him in close and started punching.” During the scuffle, he bit the man on the nose, “ripping the flesh on the tip,” and allegedly threatening the man’s life, as stated by a witness.
As a long-term executive for the food company, Ramsey was appointed to the role of COO of Beyond Meat just under a year ago. The company takes strides to promote the eating of plant-based meat as a means to positively affect the environment and the planet as a whole. The products that it puts out are quite popular with the vegan community, and the promotion of Ramsey to COO this past December 2021 was reported on by a large vegan media brand, VegNews, and heavily lauded as an extremely positive step toward adding more “vigor” to the expanding meat-alternative movement.
“Beyond Meat is the gold standard in the plant-based meat industry and I am proud to join in its mission to produce delicious products that are healthier for our customers and more sustainable for our planet,” stated Ramsey at that time. “I’m thrilled to be a part of a company that is constantly innovating and delivering high-quality products to some of the world’s most prominent foodservice and retail customers.”
Ramsey previously worked with another food company, Tyson Foods, where he had been president of the global McDonald’s business, as reported by a biography readily available on the website for Tyson. One spokesperson for Tyson explained to KNWA that Ramsey departed from the company quite a few months ago.
As of writing, the first court date appearance is slated to take place in mid-October.