Serving Up Soy
March 31, 2025
By Jeff Hutton
The Soyfoods Council celebrates 25 years of success
For 25 years, The Soyfoods Council has changed hearts and minds with its promotion and testimony of the importance of soy foods in the diets of Americans and consumers across the world.
And in 2025, the council is marking its silver anniversary with continued emphasis on why soy foods are a critical component to a healthy diet and good for those who grow soybeans.
Plant-based acceptance
The Soyfoods Council, an affiliate of the Iowa Soybean Association, began in late 1999, early 2000.
The council’s executive director, Linda Funk, has been with the council every step of the way, working to fulfill the organization’s mission — serving as a catalyst, leader and facilitator to mainstream soy-based foods into the global marketplace.
“You know it was really the soybean farmers who said there’s something here when the heart-health claims began to surface,” says Funk.
One of the claims suggested a diet with at least 25 grams of soy protein is an asset to an overall healthy diet and might reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
“That really got everybody off to the races about soy protein and soy foods,” Funk says. “How can we start adding soy protein to cereals, other foods and increase the awareness of soy foods to reach consumers?”
Funks says over the past quarter century, the growth and acceptance of the plant-based movement and how soy protein fits into that narrative, has grown.
“Vegans and vegetarians understood that, and recognized soy as a complete protein,” she says. “But we now have omnivores, carnivores and flexitarians who now know soy can fit into any healthy diet.”
Funk says soy foods are truly a growth area because more consumers are looking for healthy protein additions and alternatives to their meals.
Beyond tofu
Funk says the council has done an excellent job over the years highlighting how soy foods are more than tofu and edamame.
“People were just not familiar with the wide range of soy food applications, which includes advances in soy milk, soy nuts and soy oil and protein which can be added to everyday foods.
“We’ve really tried to look at the foods that are the easiest for people to consume,” Funk says. “In our new cookbook, we talk about adding soy to everyday diets, like partnering meat and soy together.”
Research matters
Funk says the biggest milestone for the council over the past 25 years is the research that has gone into soy foods.
“There’s heart health and how heart disease is the biggest killer of both men and women,” she says. “And there’s the research into how soy might play a role in preventing a reoccurrence of breast cancer in some patients.
“That was a real victory for us,” Funk continues. “In the soybean industry, we have research that is totally vetted every which way to Friday. It’s great to be able to say that in the soybean world, we stand tall and firm in our research.”
Funk also touts the relationship between soy protein and skin health. Clinical trials over the past several years have shown that soy foods may improve skin health due to the presence of isoflavones, lecithin and other nutrients in soy. Isoflavones may help reduce wrinkles and improve skin texture and tone, while lecithin may help hydrate and repair the skin’s surface.
Checkoff dollars at work
Soybean checkoff dollars have contributed a great deal to the council’s work.
Scot Bailey, an ISA board director from Anita, says promoting and encouraging more people to consume soy foods just makes sense.
“As the world develops, there’s a desire for higher quality food and adding more soy foods to their diets is important,” he says.
Increased interest and consumption of soy foods is good for the bottom line of those who are out in the field.
“Checkoff dollars help promote the use of soy foods,” he says. “We’re continuing to develop markets to utilize more of our soybeans. It’s not just for poultry, pork and aquaculture.”
Bailey has seen how soy foods are used in everyday cooking in Indonesia, where soy is a mainstay in the diet.
He says the council’s efforts to create recipes and promote soy foods to American consumers is key.
“I think with the council’s help, we can get more food manufacturers to come up with ways to present soy foods in a way for more people to try it,” Bailey says.
Future looks bright
Funk says Bailey and other farmers understand the critical importance of soybeans because many of them know that producing food-grade soy improves their financial bottom line.
“Our farmers have come a long way in understanding how we can all use soybeans,” she says, adding that production has increased over the past 25 years.
So, what does the future hold for soy foods?
“The great thing is that a lot of researchers are saying that plant-based eating is not a trend. Rather, it’s here to stay and that is great news for the soybean industry,” Funk says. “Soy foods are a growing part of what Americans consume, and it will continue to evolve.”
Contact Jeff Hutton at jhutton@iasoybeans.com
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