Soy Connext 2026: U.S. Soy food demand grows as health, sustainability trends reshape markets

Editor’s note: Soy Connext 2026 was hosted by the U.S. Soybean Export Council, in Chicago August 5-7, 2026. More than 800 U.S. Soy buyers, sellers, growers and forward-thinkers from around the world came together to exchange ideas, open markets, and move the business forward. From the latest research and sustainability strategies to real-world trade opportunities and supply chain solutions, every session, conversation and connection was designed to create momentum for the global soybean industry.

Will McNair, Worldwide Director of Oil and Soy Food Programs at the U.S. Soybean Export Council, spoke recently to Global Ag Media’s Sarah Mikesell at the Soy Connext 2026 conference in Chicago, Illinois, USA. 

How would you describe the current outlook for U.S. Soy in human food markets, both domestically and internationally? 

This is a robust time for the consumption of soy foods, and we've seen some huge growth within the U.S. in the soy foods space. Since 2020, we've seen a compound annual growth of 5% to 7% for domestic production of soy foods; primarily tofu, but soy milk has seen an increase as well. 

Internationally, we’ve seen steady growth with our traditional markets in Asia, and we've also started seeing increased growth in production of high-value soybean foods in emerging markets like Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. These countries are starting to become wealthier and have an interest in producing higher-quality soy foods. 

Finally, in other Western markets such as Europe and Latin America, we've started to see an increase in interest in soy foods consumption. This mirrors current U.S. trends, specifically with consumer interests in eating soy foods for health purposes, as well as affordability and sustainability. This is a great area where our U.S. Soy production shines. We provide a sustainable and healthy product for human consumption. 

What are the biggest barriers to expanding soy use in human food products, both in the U.S. and in international markets? 

There are two major barriers to expanding soy use. The first is that soy foods consumption generally utilizes specialized soybeans. You can make soy foods with any type of soybeans. However, for high-quality soy foods, such as tofu, soy milk, tempeh or miso, we often use specific beans that could have a different color, higher protein content and different sugars. 

One of the difficulties is that it's a non-commodity market. Growing this market takes a little bit more forethought and planning than in typical commodity markets. So, the challenge is establishing a knowledge base for buyers around the world to learn how to source these higher quality beans. 

The second major barrier, which primarily affects Western markets, is the adoption of non-traditional foods. Getting someone interested in consuming tofu, tempeh, miso and natto can be somewhat difficult if it's not part of their cultural heritage. 

However, we are starting to see organic growth in consumption in these markets as people are starting to consume more Asian foods and read and watch more Asian media, including Korean, Japanese and Chinese foods. Consumers are starting to have interest, but it is a stepping stone where they need to have that interest first, and consumption will follow.

As global food manufacturers increasingly focus on sustainability, nutrition and plant-based ingredients, how is U.S. Soy positioned to meet those evolving needs compared to soy sourced from other regions? 

When we look at the soy foods sector, it looks completely different from the general commodity soy sector. Anyone who knows anything about soy often thinks of the U.S. and Brazil at first glance. 

In reality, when we're talking about the soy foods market, the largest producers are the U.S. and Canada, and this is primarily due to the higher quality beans that you're able to get in these regions with less heat damage. 

When we talk about sustainability and production, we are often talking about the U.S. We are the top producer of food-grade soybeans used for soy foods in the world. This is a topic that people often find interesting -- I live in Ohio, and if I were to travel from Ohio to Japan and eat tofu there, it likely comes from soybeans grown relatively close to where I live. That's due to the higher quality nature of U.S. Soy as well as the sustainable production practices we have in the U.S. 

I think Japan is one of the top-visited locations in the world this year, and it's interesting to think about how far U.S. Soy goes. In Japan, people are eating soy foods being produced throughout the U.S. and Midwest and likely don't even know it. 

Here in the U.S., GLP-1 use is growing rapidly. What are your thoughts on protein in the diet, considering soy is an excellent source of protein?

The increase in GLP-1 use is one of the reasons why we're seeing some of the huge growth in the U.S. as well as some of the Western countries. Soy does help to play an important nutritional role, specifically for those who are consuming the GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic. 

They need to have a high-protein and a high-fiber diet, and soy is a wonderful option that provides that satiation and helps people feel healthily full by consuming soy foods. I think that as we see increasingly higher percentage of people in the U.S. and in other Western countries using GLP-1 drugs, we are going to see an uptick in the consumption of soy foods as a result.