Soy Food Industry
Soy food is a booming industry all over the world. Soy food products are derived from plants and promote nutrition and healthy eating. The history of soy-based foods dates back thousands of years. Soy acts as a central component to the promotion of a balanced diet and will likely serve as an essential element of the health food industry for years to come.
-
The Story of Soy
-
Soybeans were discovered in 1000 B.C. in East Asia. The geography and climate of the area -- comprised of what is now China, Korea, Japan and Russia -- served to stimulate a soybean growth on a yearly basis. Soybeans were pulled from pods and replanted year after year all over the world. As of 2007, the majority of soy farms in the United States produce product with high levels of protein and minimal levels of oil. Modern soy-based products include soy milk, soy sauce, tofu, mayonnaise and garden burgers.
Characteristics of Soy
-
Wild soybean plants grow and wrap around tree trunks. The plants sprout to levels of two to three feet high. One plant may produce as many as 150 bean pods, with two or three beans encased in each pod. Soybeans come in a variety of colors, such as green, yellow and brown, and are often ready to be picked, shipped and sold three months after planting. Early-maturing soy plants may be ready for harvest two-and-a-half months after initial planting, while late-maturing types may require up to four months of sprouting.
-
Soy Statistics
-
From 2006 to 2009, U.S. soybean farm acreage rose from 75.5 million to 77.5 million acres. In the same time frame, soy industry profits -- including cash farming and soybean cultivation -- jumped more than $10 billion, from $20.5 to $31.9 billion dollars. Out of the top five soy farm states, Nebraska, Indiana and Minnesota each produce between 259 and 289 million bushels of soy on a yearly basis. Illinois and Iowa each produce 430 and 489 million bushels, respectively. Four in 10 of all soy products manufactured in the U.S. are exported to other countries.
Industry Complications
-
Natural soy farming is coming into conflict with technology, economics and mass production. Genetic manipulation of soybean seeds allows modern soy farms to grow significantly bigger crops that produce more beans than ever before. Expanding commercial soy farms to other nations results in ecosystem disruption and a continuation of harvesting plentiful modified crops lacking the nutritional content of organic plants. Proponents of genetic modification and commercialization champion the fact that more farms provide more food to those who need it. Alternatively, protesters argue that genetic modification dangerously manipulates health content and puts profits over people.
-
References
- Soy Info Center; The Soybean Plant: Botany, Nomenclature, Taxonomy, Domestication, and Dissemination; William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi
- Soy Products: Soy Foods
- United States Department of Agriculture: Soybean Coverage
- Organic Consumers: Sustainable Soybean Farming Not Possible with GM and Monocultures
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
