The Truth About Soy

Over the last few years in particular I’ve heard so many negative things about soy and soy beans (or soya). One claim is that too much soy is said to mess with your hormones. However the biggest negative is that the growing of soy beans is being blamed for rainforest destruction. This is one thing a lot of people seem to agree on. But are vegans or meat-eaters the main consumers or soy? Vegans have been blamed as they eat and drink ‘too much soy’. Meat-eaters have been blamed as soy beans are used to feed cattle. Is it just a case of each side blaming the other? Are both statements based on the truth? Just what is the truth about soy?

I’m writing about this because of the latest article appearing to blame those on a plant based diet for rainforest deforestation:

“British vegans should drink cow’s milk to help the planet, charity says“

UK demand for soy is fueling tropical deforestation and threatening climate goals, the SFT warns. “Vegans and others who buy milk substitutes made from soya for their latte and cappuccino, or breakfast cereal, are…harming the planet,” SFT said in a release. “They would do better to switch to milk from cows, and especially cows traditionally grazed on grass, if they want to help make a more sustainable planet.”

First off it’s very clear that this charity has no idea what being vegan is all about otherwise they wouldn’t suggest drinking cow’s milk and would have suggested an alternative plant based milk instead. This statement alone makes me suspicious about who the SFT, the Sustainable Food Trust, are. Let’s look into that first.

Who are The Sustainable Food Trust?

“The Sustainable Food Trust is a registered charity that was founded by Patrick Holden in 2011 in response to the worsening human and environmental crises that are associated with the vast majority of today’s food and farming systems.”

“Both Chief Executive (Patrick Holden) and Policy Director (Richard Young) have been combining organic farming with sustainable food advocacy for over 40 years, and several other staff members are practically involved in farming or community food systems.” – About SFT

Patrick Holden

• Studied Biodynamic Agriculture at Emerson College
• Founding Chairman of British Organic Farmers 1982
• Founding Director of Sustainable Food Trust
• Worked for the Soil Association for 20 years from 1988, served as the charities Director from 1995 to 2010
• Patron of the UK Biodynamic Association
• Established a mixed community farm in Wales in 1973, producing (at various times) wheat, carrots and milk

It’s clear that Patrick Holden has an impressive history and overall is clearly seeking positive change. But the fact he used to own a dairy herd of 85 cows at the mixed community farm, and the farm he established is now run by his son Sam to produce cheese does make me think his opinion and therefore possibly the opinion of the SFT is biassed towards dairy.

Richard Young

• Past editor of ‘New Farmer & Grower’ (now known as ‘Organic Farming’)
• Chairman of the Soil Association’s Symbol Committee (which drew up organic food and farming standards back in the 1980’s)
• Has written on topics such as why antibiotic overuse in livestock production is a threat to human health and to farmers ability to treat infectious disease in their animals in the long-term; the underlying causes of bovine tuberculosis and Johne’s Disease; importance of grass and grazing animals and the importance pf small abattoirs for local farming communities
• Policy Director for SFT
• Is a 100% organic, grass-fed cattle and sheep farmer, on his 390 acre farm

Like Patrick Holden, Richard Young has an impressive history in organic farming, but again as an owner of a cattle farm I feel his opinion is also probably biassed.

Efficiency of producing dairy milk compared to soy milk

Their main argument for vegans switching to dairy milk rather than drinking soy milk is that it’s more efficient to produce milk from cows fed soy based food than to produce milk from soy beans:

“In the UK about 85 litres of milk is produced for every kilo of soy bean meal fed to cows, according to the study. By contrast, just 7.5 litres of soya milk can be made from a kilo of whole soya beans.

The difference is partly down to the fact most British cows are fed on grass, with their diet supplemented by feed such as soy meal. That makes every kilo of soy go further, helping to produce more milk.”

To be completely fair, the article I’m referring to does also say; “Around 2.5 million tonnes of soya meal is imported into the UK each year, 90 per cent of which is used to feed poultry, livestock and fish. To reduce their environmental impact, farmers should cut back on their soy and palm kernel use in favour of more locally grown options.”

Although they’re focussing on the ‘efficiency’ of producing ‘milk’ it’s clear that far more soy is used to feed cattle than it is to produce soy milk. At least they’ve mentioned that farmers should reduce the amount of soy fed to their cattle but I feel that that should have been their main focus rather than appearing to demonise vegans.

Should Vegans Stop Drinking Soy Milk?

Time for me to be honest. I’m not a fan of the dairy industry having looked into it before I went vegan. So I may also be biassed. I mainly drink soy milk, although I’ve recently started using oat milk for coffee and hot chocolate. Oat milk is just nicer in coffee and hot chocolate! I don’t eat a lot of soy mince, or meat alternatives made from soy. Do I think vegans should stop drinking soy milk? Possibly. Drinking less soy milk will mean less deforestation but I still think soy milk is far better overall than dairy milk.

You can see a comparison of plant milks here, which goes into the environmental impact of plant milks. Oat milk is one of the better plant milks to drink for your health, the planet and animals. It’s also incredibly easy to make yourself! You can also read about the environmental impact of dairy here for a bit of balance.

One of the other reasons to stop consuming so much soy is the concern that too much soy can lead to an excess of certain phytoestrogens which may have a detrimental effect on the human estrogen hormone. There are health benefits to phytoestrogens but they might not outweigh the health risks, especially to infants.

So what is the truth about soy?

• If you eat beef, it’s likely that the cattle was fed soy meal.
• If you drink dairy milk, it’s likely that soy beans were fed to the cattle.
• Vegans who consume soy are helping to contribute to Amazon deforestation, but probably not as much as meat-eaters are.
• The consumption of too much soy could have an effect on the human estrogen hormone.

At this point it’s worth mentioning that Alpro, one of the most commonly found brands of soya milk in the UK, claim “the soya beans we use are Sustainably Sourced with no need for deforestation.”

Overall the truth about soy is complicated; if you’re trying to work out whether to blame vegans or meat-eaters. The truth is that anyone who consumes soy, either directly or indirectly by eating meat fed soy, is contributing to the devastating loss of the rainforests. I’ll be reducing my soy consumption a lot more than I already have. I hope non-vegans reduce their consumption of dairy and beef so they also make a positive change.

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