Soybean was first planted in China 5000 years ago, and it was made into soy sauce, tofu and miso in East Asia. Unusually, it is a kind of "complete protein", which contains all the essential amino acids needed by our life. This means that you don't need to eat other foods rich in protein to ensure an adequate diet, so it is very popular among vegetarians and vegans all over the world.
In the past 50 years, with the application of soybean in industrial food system, soybean has developed rapidly as a world commodity. Now it is everywhere, on the shelves of shops, restaurants and take-away, whether as raw materials or as part of processing, such as cooking oil. Sometimes it exists in unexpected foods, such as bread, baked goods, ice cream, mayonnaise and chocolate.
However, the vast majority of soybeans (estimated at 75%) enter the food chain through meat (especially chicken, pork and bacon), farmed fish, eggs and dairy products, because soybeans are the main protein used in animal feed.
Based on all these data, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that each of us eats an average of 665,438+0 kg of soybeans every year, which is more than 65,438+0 kg per week.
In the past 20 years, soybean production has more than doubled. South America is the fastest growing place in soybean supply and production in the world, and currently accounts for about half of the global production. In this process, a large number of places rich in unique species have been destroyed and continue to be destroyed.
According to WWF, unsustainable soybeans will continue to have "serious negative impacts" on biodiversity, habitats, water use and climate change. It believes that the growth rate of soybeans is particularly worrying. With the growth of global meat demand, soybean production has increased by nearly 40% in the past decade. The United Nations Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) predicted in the agricultural outlook 2020-2029 that by 2028, 7 million hectares of new land will be needed to grow soybeans used only as animal feed, almost twice the area of Switzerland.
In addition, according to the risk business of consulting companies WWF-UK and RSPB: British overseas land footprint, it will be? Will Schreiber said that "highly dangerous" pesticides may be used in soybean production for animal feed.
However, soybeans that are not from competitive areas may not have good ecological health certificates. Richard Young of the Sustainable Food Trust said that all soybeans have the problem of a single planting form (planting one crop on the same land year after year), including the damage to the soil and the "lack of biodiversity" in a large area.
Soybean oil is the second largest source of vegetable oil in the world. About three-quarters of the soybean oil imported by Britain comes from the Netherlands (the global trade center), and about half comes from Brazil and Argentina.
Although you can't tell the source of soybeans from the packaging, you can look for sustainable development certification marks on brand products, such as RTRS (Responsible Soybean Roundtable) and ProTerra.
But there is a problem. It is difficult for you to find soybeans in your food. For example, lecithin, an emulsifier that can be used in chocolate and processed foods, can be extracted from soybeans. The vegetable oil sold in the store must now explain what is in the bottle, but you don't know what oil is used in the restaurant. Soybean oil extracted from genetically modified crops is usually planted in Argentina and Brazil, and it is required by law to be labeled, but it is difficult to see it when used in fast food restaurants, cafes, canteens or restaurants.
The main problem is animal feed, and there is no need to include detailed information about this content on the label. But feed is a factor in some standards (such as organic food), and you can find such a certification mark on the packaging.
Retailers, fast food chains and other food service providers and manufacturers have realized that it is urgent to find a responsible soybean source. Since the WWF Comparative Retailer Policy Survey in June 20 19, some progress has been made. Some major British retailers and food companies have now promised to use and sell only 100% sustainable soybeans, with the focus on protecting forests and valuable local vegetation.
But challenges remain. Farmers are keen to grow this high-profit crop, the supply chain is difficult to track, and global demand continues to grow. The solution must be for all countries to work together to ensure a level playing field in the globalized food system.
Some people think that the world needs to get rid of the custom of soybeans. Instead of protein for feed, consumers can turn to products of different animal husbandry systems. The Soil Association advocates adopting a "less but better" meat strategy to increase herbivorous livestock, and supports a recent study that shows how to achieve this goal by 2050.
In terms of food types, chicken and eggs have the heaviest soybean footprint (100g), followed by farmed salmon and pork. Compared with many other countries, beef and dairy cows in Britain are more likely to feed on grass at least in some cases, but soybeans can be used as feed, especially in intensive beef and dairy farming, because animals are kept indoors for longer than grazing in the field.
Looking for organic or sustainable certified products, as well as grass-fed meat and dairy products, in order to ensure a soybean-free diet, it must pass the certification of Life Grass Association (at present, "grass-fed" means that only half of the feed must be grass-fed).
RTRS is a global certification standard for sustainable soybeans. When you enter the weekly intake of each food, their soybean footprint calculator will calculate the approximate decomposition amount of soybeans hidden in your diet, including soybeans from farmed fish, eggs and chocolate. However, depending on the farming system, especially the soybean footprint of British beef and some dairy products may be lighter than that shown on the calculator, because it is based on European data.