In 2020 Australia imported 1.18 million tonnes of soya bean with 85% of this processed into soybean meal for livestock, primarily from GMO crops in USA, Brazil and Argentina. It is important to remember that the primary purpose of this genetic modification is to make the crop herbicide resistant, specifically to glyphosate, so the crop can be sprayed up to 4 times with glyphosate for weed control without impacting on the actual soybean crop. This fact alone is incredibly disconcerting considering the concerns now being raised regarding the health issues associated with glyphosate usage.
Soy has been a staple in Asian diets for thousands of years, and for vegetarians and people with lactose intolerance it’s a good source of calcium and protein. Soy as a direct addition to the diet and in moderation is unlikely to cause any major health issues. However, the hidden addition of soy in our diet and in the food chain through stock feed may have long term health impacts. Scientists are concerned that the plant-based estrogen’s that occur naturally in soy, many of which are endocrine disruptors, could potentially have adverse impacts on our health. Soy contains goitrogens which lead to depressed thyroid function. It also contains phytates which prevent absorption of life enhancing minerals and it is also loaded with phytoestrogens which sometimes block the hormone estrogen and have adverse effects on human tissues! Much more research needs to be done on the long term health effects of GMO soy.
Stockfeed Manufacturers’ Council of Australia states Soybean meal is sourced from USA, Brazil and Argentina with GM soybean meal used as a key source of protein by Australia’s pig, poultry, beef and dairy industries.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), allows manufacturers to use a wide range of GM food ingredients imported from overseas. These include specific GM varieties of soybeans. GM soybean products are used as ingredients in many processed foods, such as bread, pastries, chocolates, potato chips, margarine and mayonnaise. Soy lecithin (additive 322) is used as an emulsifier in spreads, cakes and confectionery.
Current world wide soybean production is around 350 million tonnes. Only about 6% of soybeans grown worldwide are turned directly into food products for human consumption. The rest either enters the food chain indirectly as animal feed, or are used to make vegetable oil or non-food products such as biodiesel. 70-75% of the world’s soy ends up as feed for chickens, pigs, cows, and farmed fish.
The solution to fighting climate change and saving our health and our planet needs to involve a reduction in meat consumption from industrial livestock. We need to eat less and choose better.
