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Do Vegan Products Contain Genetically Modified Soy?

Soy is used in many vegan products, including non-dairy milk and cheese, meat substitutes and tofu. With concerns surrounding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) growing daily, people tend to panic when they hear a product contains soy, mistakenly thinking it will always be genetically modified soy. But not all soy products are genetically modified.

Are Vegan Products Free From GM Soy?

Due to the growing ethical, environmental and health concerns surrounding genetically modified foods, ethical companies are taking steps to exclude GMOs from their product offerings. As a result, you will find the vast majority of vegan products, and many vegan by accident products do not contain GM soy.

Where Does All The GM Soy Go?

By 2012, 94% of soy in the US was from GM crops (USDA). Over half of the world’s 2007 soybean crop (58.6%) was genetically modified.

The animal agriculture industry requires large volumes of soy to feed the animals farmed for human consumption. According to U.S. based SoyTech, “Approximately 98% of the soybean meal that is crushed is further processed into animal feed.”

Moreover, for those flexitarians who think that giving up red meat will help them escape the effects of GM crops, think again. According to the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association, “Over half of the soybeans processed for livestock feed are fed to poultry.”

This leaves us with the undeniable conclusion: if you consume animal products, then you are almost certainly consuming GM soy.

In addition, if you consume processed food, then you are also exposing yourself to GM soy. Bill Freese from the Center for Food Safety says “60-70% of processed foods have ingredients derived from GMOs”. Due to the hidden animal-derived ingredients, and contrary to public opinion, it is far less likely for vegans to consume processed food than it is for omnivores.

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Is Organic Soy Ever Genetically Modified?

Organic producers are prohibited from the use of GMOs in organic production. So a good rule of thumb when buying soy products is to only buy those labeled as organic. It should naturally follow that the product is also GMO-free. However, if you want to split hairs, there are instances where cross-pollination has occurred, and there is a chance the organic farmer’s seed may have become contaminated by neighboring GM crops.

Is GM Soy Ever Vegan Certified?

Although this is probably never the case, it is interesting to note that vegan certified products do not have to be entirely GM-free. Even if the soy is genetically modified, as long as the DNA has not been altered using animal or insect DNA, then it is still vegan. This may sound shocking to the anti-GM lobby, however, these are two separate issues and should not be confused.

The development and/or production of genetically modified organisms (GMO) must not have involved animal genes or animal-derived substances. Products put forward for registration which contain or may contain any GMOs must be labelled as such.
— The Vegan Society ‘Trademark Standards’

Back to Vegan Basics

The concerns surrounding genetically modified organisms entering our food systems are vitally relevant. However, we need to be careful not to give out mixed messages by labeling genetically modified soy as not being vegan. These are two separate matters.

Karen Johnson - The Elated Vegan

Author Karen Johnson
Karen is passionate about vegan education, health, nutrition and fitness. She is a Nutritarian Coach certified with Joel Fuhrman M.D. Karen founded Elated Vegan in 2007 to raise awareness for farmed animals, and added the Elated Vegan Health marketplace in 2020 to source vegan supplements, and help people be healthy vegans.

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