Just three decades after soy milk was introduced to the United States, the product is making its move from a niche marketplace to the mainstream.
Marketing giants like General Mills and DuPont Protein Technologies have joined the soy milk market in the past two years, and distributors are beginning to launch widespread advertising and coupon campaigns.
Soy milk sales reached about $700 million in 2002, however, even with its growing popularity that is only about one percent of dairy sold. Comparatively, soft drink sales reached $63 billion in 2002, milk sales $10 billion and bottled water sales $8 billion.
Distributors see these numbers as an opportunity to gain market share, and already the number of soy milk makers has increased from several to more than 50 in the past 20 years.
Soy milk is a combination of whole soybean solids or soy proteins and water. However, converting the soybean, which was mainly used to feed animals in the United States through the 1970s, into something that is suitable for human consumption is not an easy task. Some soy manufacturers have not been able to master the technique and their products reflect that.
Adding to soy milk’s popularity was its move to the refrigerated dairy case, which makes Americans associate it with traditional milk. Prior to this, most soy milks were sold in unrefrigerated grocery aisles.
Additionally, in 1999 the Food and Drug administration allowed soy products to claim that they may reduce the risk of heart disease, another move that added to soy milk’s popularity.
However, the industry does face some challenges. For one, soy milk is expensive, as it typically sells at a 50 percent to 100 percent premium compared to cow’s milk. Additionally, many consumers are not familiar with its taste and do not rate soy milk as high as other products in taste tests.
The Washington Post March 13, 2003
If you are new to this newsletter you might be surprised to learn that soy is not the health food that it is made out to be. I regularly see women who have had thyroid problems as a result of consuming soy products regularly.
If you are startled by this comment and need more information I would encourage you to review the details in the link below. You will learn that unfermented soy has many negative digestive inhibitors and potent hormones that typically will not push your body in a direction of health.
Further, soy formula is one of the absolute worst foods you can give to your child, as it will expose them to very high levels of hormones that can have negative influences on them as they grow older.
Please recognize that fermented soy products are typically not associated with many of these problems and actually are reasonable to include in your diet. These products include miso, natto and tempeh.
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