They’re the largest global protein crop and the most efficient source of protein per hectare. Soya beans are used to make a variety of vegetarian food such as tofu, miso, edamame, tempeh and soy milk. The vast majority of the soya bean crops are crushed, which results in soybean oil and soya flour.
Soya is also used to enrich the protein level in other foods. In fact, most commercially produced beef, fish, chicken, egg and dairy products contain soya, according to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). Europeans consume an average of 61 kilograms of soy per year, the WWF says. Still, soymeal is primarily used for animal feed, and 80% of the world’s soybean crop is fed to livestock.