French food authority, ANSES, published recommendations on soy this week
ProVeg International has today responded to the surprising recommendation made this week by ANSES, the French food agency, that soya-based food should not be served in large catering operations.
“Soya and soya-based foods offer numerous health benefits due to their rich nutritional profile, including high-quality protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals,” Anna-Lena Klapp, Head of Research at ProVeg International, said.
“Soya is therefore recommended in more and more national dietary guidelines worldwide as a healthy food, for example: in Austria, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.”
ANSES states that isoflavones naturally present in certain plants can have harmful effects on health, especially on the reproductive system, if consumed in too large quantities. As soy is the main source of isoflavones, ANSES recommends not serving soya-based foods in institutional catering to avoid overconsumption.
“We are surprised by the ANSES recommendation to exclude soya-based foods from institutional catering despite their well-documented health and environmental benefits,” Klapp said.
“We would like to see large-scale meta-analyses that support this recommendation, which stands in contrast to national dietary guidelines in many countries.”
ProVeg is also surprised that ANSES does not make a comparable recommendation for processed red meat.
In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen. This classification means there is sufficient evidence from epidemiological studies that products such as bacon, sausage and ham cause cancer.
In addition, red meat has been classified as a Group 2A carcinogen, which means that foods such as beef, veal or pork are likely to cause cancer. ANSES reported on this itself but has not made a recommendation to remove it from mass catering.
Soy is an old favorite
The soy bean was first domesticated in China thousands of years ago, and has become a staple in many cultures since then.
Research shows that regular and moderate soy consumption within a healthy and balanced diet is safe and offers several health benefits.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of the world’s foremost medical research centers and the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research states, that “except for people with soy allergies, soy is considered to be a safe food.”
Diversifying plant-based foods in catering settings is a nutritionally sound approach and soy has its place in catering operations alongside numerous other plant-based protein sources such as peas, lupin, and lentils.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For media inquiries, email Peter Rixon at [email protected].
For scientific data about the benefits of plant-based eating, see our Food System Data website.
About ProVeg International
ProVeg International is a food awareness organization with the mission to replace 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. Our vision is a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.
