In the past 50 years or so, the cultivation of soybeans has grown tenfold, with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) predicting it will double by 2050. With this rapid expansion have come difficulties, however, mainly linked to the destruction of natural habitats and biodiversity.

Soybeans are not a new crop, having been grown in Asia for thousands of years. The problems have come in the past century, with the fastest growth in South America, where production grew by 123% between 1996 and 2004, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Despite the vast extent to which soy is produced, the harvests do not go towards direct human food consumption. According to the US Department of Agriculture, only about 6% of soybean production is used for products such as edamame beans, tofu, soy milk or tempeh.

Consumers do not tend to realise the effect that their food purchases have on the environment, explains [WWF forest policy officer Anke] Schulmeister-Oldenhove, citing the example of the hidden soy in yoghurt, as it comes from cows fed on the product. Ultimately, this burden should not fall on consumers having to decipher whether their food is contributing to the destruction of ecosystems, she adds.

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