Use of Soy Protein Isolate Puzzles Me

I have some information to share with you about the main ingredient in a lot of fake meat products called soy protein isolate. It falls into the category of “things that puzzle me.” But first, a little background.

I’ve been an animal lover since birth, but it wasn’t until I was about eight-years old that the idea of eating meat bothered me. I remember  sitting at the kitchen table with my parents and two older brothers, when I found a dark, stringy object in the baked chicken breast in front of me.

“What’s this?” I asked my mother.

Mom stopped eating for a moment and peered over at my plate.

“That’s just a vein,” she said, and turned her attention back to her own meal, probably not before giving my father a look that said, “If she starts her picky business again . . .”

“What’s a vein doing in there?” I looked closer. Yep, it  looked like a little tube.

She answered, “You’re eating meat. Meat is a muscle. What do you expect?”

My Road to Vegan Life

I probably didn’t finish my meal after what I learned about meat, but that part I don’t remember. I do know that from then on, whenever I’d eat chicken, I’d think about that vein. Another time, I asked my mother what the white object in my steak was. She told  me it was a nerve. Oh god.

This didn’t mean that I stopped eating meat, or stopped enjoying it, but it did mean that I spent the next few decades trying to make sure my meat did not contain veins, nerves, or fat before it crossed the threshold of my mouth. I’d go through periods of vegetarianism, but would eventually revert back to my carnivorous ways. Then, a couple of years ago, I
gave up meat and most dairy, feeling a large weight taken off my shoulders. At the same time, I started making an effort to buy organic whenever possible.

I would buy veggie burgers, organic or not, but found most fake meat to be unsatisfying. Eventually, I discovered fake chicken strips, and I started adding them to stir-fry and salad. I knew they weren’t organic. Heck, they weren’t even “natural.” The ingredient lists told me that there was probably some stuff in there that I shouldn’t be eating if I wanted to live to 104, but they were so good!

A New Chicken Substitute Sure to Fool You

On the radio one morning, I heard a story about a new chicken substitute, which was said to be so good, test subjects could not tell the difference between it and the real thing. After that, I eagerly followed the progress of Beyond Meat as it gradually rolled out its product across the nation and finally tried it a few weeks ago at a Whole Foods Market in Washington, DC. By golly, it tasted just like chicken, or what I remember chicken tastes like. Before heading for home, we bought a couple of pounds of it to freeze, because it’s not yet sold in our home town.

Upon our return home, I emailed our local food co-op, encouraging them to try to carry Beyond Meat if possible. It didn’t take long to receive a reply.

The Stunning Info

“Hello. Thanks for your inquiry about the Beyond Meat
products. Currently this item is not available to us through our distributor.
On another note, this is a product that we would not carry at the Co-op. The
ingredients list non-organic soy protein isolate. As a buyer for the store I do
not carry items that contain this form of soy. The industry standard for
non-organic soy isolate or concentrate is produced with a chemical called
hexane gas, a known neurotoxin and environmental pollutant.

Hexane is a byproduct of gasoline refining. It is a neurotoxin and a hazardous
air pollutant. Soybean processors use it as a solvent—a cheap and efficient way
of extracting oil from soybeans, a necessary step to making most conventional
soy oil and protein ingredients. Whole soybeans are literally bathed in hexane
to separate the soybeans’ oil from protein.

http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/11/hexane-soy/.”

This reply sent me on a search through my freezer, and I found that every fake meat product contained there listed soy protein isolate in its ingredients. I decided to email Beyond Meat to get their take on the matter. Surely, there must be some justification for using this ingredient.

I received no reply after two attempts.

Having “liked” Beyond Meat on Facebook, and seeing the frequent updates to the page, I decided to private message the page administrators.

“I have emailed your company twice about this, but I haven’t
received a response. I was very excited about the product, having tried it in
Washington, DC, but received the following reply from our local co-op. I was
very disappointed because most meat substitutes have soy protein isolate in
them. Your Facebook page says it doesn’t have any of the bad stuff, so clearly
you must have a different view on soy protein isolate. Comments?”

Here’s the response I received rather quickly:

“Sorry for your frustration, Ann. We’re checking with our
customer service team to find out what became of your email.

In the meantime, please rest assured that hexane is not part
of Beyond Meat’s recipe or production process. However, we do buy soy protein
isolate from a reputable vendor. We stand by the quality and safety of our
product, but please do make the choices you need to feel comfortable about your
food intake for your body and lifestyle.”

Here’s how I responded:

“Thank you for the swift reply. Sounds like the bad stuff is
happening before it comes to you. But is that any better?”

I still haven’t received a reply to my emails to Beyond Meat.

Lesson Learned

I guess some things are too good to be true. I guess I will stick with my organic tofu, tempeh, and seitan, but mainly, I’ll guess I’ll continue to explore all the possibilities that exist in a vegan diet, embracing veggies, fruit, and whole grains. Will I always be vegan? Who knows? Sometimes I cheat and eat pizza with real cheese. . . Last summer, I ate a steak.

I’m not telling you not to eat meat, and I’m not telling you to avoid Beyond Meat. This story just falls in the category of “things that puzzle me,” and I wanted to share it with you.

What do you think?