FOOD LABELS 101: THE MANY NAMES OF SOY

I’ve been asked by a couple of folks for information on how to identify if there’s soy in a food product when reading the ingredient list. Sure, if it says “soy,” then it’s easy to tell that the food is a no-go, but what about all the hidden sources of soy that are in everyday food products? Luckily, as of January 1, 2006, foods that are covered by the FDA labeling laws must be labeled in plain English to declare that it “contains soy”  if there is a soy ingredient in the food or product. Unfortunately, there are many foods that are not covered by FDA allergen labeling laws, so it is still very important to know how to read a label to identify soy ingredients.

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I’ve been compiling a list for some time now that I hope you find helpful. It is by no means a complete list and I will provide updates as I learn more, but in the meantime, I hope you find it useful when you’re scouring food labels and trying to determine if a food contains soy ingredients.

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Items that Contain Soy — Look for These Words in Ingredient Lists: 

• hydrolyzed soy protein (or HSP)

• miso

• kinnoko flour

• kyodofu (freeze dried tofu)

• natto

• autolyzed yeast

• calcium caseinate

• carob

• gelatin

• lecithin (always contact the manufacturer as lecithin may be derived from egg or soy)

• licorice

• mono & diglycerides

• monosodium glutamate (or MSG)

• glycine max

• soy sauce

• tamari

• shoyu sauce

• soy albumin

• soy concentrate

• soya

• soya flour

• teriyaki

• oyster sauce

• fish sauce

• soy beans (or soybeans)

• soy nuts

• soy formula

• soy miso

• soy nut butter

• soy flour

• soy grits

• soy fiber

• okara (soy pulp)

• soy bran

• soy isolate fiber

• soy milk

• soy sprouts

• tempeh

• textured vegetable protein (or TVP)

• textured soy protein (or TSP)

• textured soy flour or (TSF)

• supro

• yakidofu

• vegetable broth (always contact the manufacturer to verify the source)

• vegetable gum (always contact the manufacturer to verify the source)

• vegetable oil (always contact the manufacturer as this may indicate soybean oil, corn oil or a mixture of both)

• vegetable starch (always contact the manufacturer to verify the source)

• vitamin E (always contact the manufacturer to verify the source)

• soybean granules

• soybean paste

• tofu

• yuba (bean curd)

• soybean curd

• soy protein concentrate

• soy protein isolate

• edamame

• natural flavoring (always contact the manufacturer as natural flavorings often contain soy)

NOTE: While products covered by the FDA allergen labeling laws that contain soy lecithin must be labeled as “contains soy,” soybean oil is exempt from being labeled as an allergen.