Once familiar only to vegetarians and health food fans, the soybean has become the centerpiece of a diet revolution that has far outgrown its 5000-year-old Asian beginnings. Simple soy-based products, such as tofu and tempeh, have been available in health food outlets in Europe and the US for decades. Recently, however, soy-based products ranging from “milk” to burgers have become ubiquitous items on grocery store shelves.
Soybeans were introduced to North America in the early 1900’s by Asians who migrated to the country. Dr John Harvey Kellogg, of breakfast cereal fame, began marketing America’s first soymilk and meat substitutes in the 1920’s. In the 1980’s a small soy food industry began to develop as a result of demographic and sociological changes.
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Over the past ten years, more than 2,000 new soy products have made their way into food stores. In 1997, soy food sales in the US exceeded US$1bn. At last count, that number was US$2.5bn, with market researchers predicting that soyfood purchases will increase as much as 20% a year, with prospects for sales in the year 2005 of as much as US$6bn.
Health label and endorsements
Important to soyfoods#; increased popularity was the US Food and Drug Administration#;s (FDA) approval in October 1999 of a health statement that allows soyfood makers to apply product labels that read: 25 grams of soy protein consumed daily as part of a low-fat diet may help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Another welcomed endorsement of soyfoods came in November of last year, when the American Heart Association added soy to its recommended list of foods to lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.
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By GlobalDataHealth research abounds
In addition to its cholesterol-lowering benefits, research shows that soy intake can also strengthen blood vessel walls, inhibit cholesterol oxidation, and work against clot formation, says Dr Mark Messina, former head of the National Cancer Institute‘s Designer Foods Program and current columnist for the quarterly newsletter, The Soy Connection.
And beyond its heart health benefits, soy#;s key ingredient, isoflavones, may also contribute to the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, cancer and diabetic kidney disease, as well as improve cognitive function in the elderly.
In addition, recent research has also found a connection between the consumption of soyfoods and benefits specific to menopausal woman – including the reduction of hot flushes and as a possible alternative to oestrogen replacement therapy.
Expanding choices
While tofu and soymilk are the most well known soyfoods, products including meatless or chicken-free nuggets, soyburgers, chocolate soymilk, soy nuts, soy flour and soy oil are proliferating on grocery store shelves. Beyond “milk,” soy-based dairy alternatives now include a variety of hard cheeses, yogurt and cream cheese. Gourmet roasted soybean health snacks are available in flavors ranging from lightly salted to jalapeno and cheddar. Soy-based textured vegetable protein, designed as a substitute for ground beef, chicken or pork in cooked dishes, has also gained popularity. New soy-based condiments now include miso, soynut butter, and tamari.
US soyfoods makers
With a watchful eye on this new food market, major US food companies are launching soy-based product lines, teaming up with established soyfood marketers, or buying up smaller soyfoods companies. In November 2000, H.J. Heinz and Hain Celestial introduced their Awakening Soymilk product – the result of a co-branding agreement announced in August. Dairy giant Dean Foods last year took a minority stake in White Wave Inc., a vegetarian food company that makes Silk refrigerated soymilk. In July 2000, ConAgra Foods purchased soyfoods maker LightLife Foods Inc. in an effort “to serve the growing number of consumers who are looking for natural foods in their diets.” Kellogg and Kraft are both currently marketing veggie burgers; Kellogg, through its acquisition of Worthington Foods, and Kraft, through its purchase last February of Boca Burger.
Other US soyfood producers include Eden Foods, Gardenburger, Imagine Foods, Vitasoy USA, Galaxy Foods, and Tofutti.
The GMO question
While the future of soyfoods holds obvious promise, one potential fly in the ointment remains. Namely: GMOs. More than half of the current US crop of soybeans is planted with genetically modified seed, increasing the likelihood that products containing these altered beans will appear on store shelves.
Some food companies recognize the problem and are making efforts to protect themselves while assuring consumers. For example, ConAgra Foods features a spot on its LightLife website it calls “The GMO Challenge,” in which it assures consumers that it is “100% committed to a product line entirely free of GMO ingredients.”
In December, Gardenburger proudly announced that it would redouble its commitment to non-GMO ingredients. “To ensure that the soy used in Gardenburger products is not genetically modified, the company is requiring its suppliers to certify that the entire supply meets strict non-GMO standards.”
At a time when more soy-based foods are competing for space on grocery store shelves and dairy aisles, consumers are becoming more aware of and concerned about genetically modified foods and ingredients. With the StarLink debacle less than six months past, US soyfood makers will need to navigate these waters very carefully.
By Pam Ahlberg, just-food.com correspondent
Pam can be reached by e-mail at: pahlberg@bellatlantic.net
