Mapping the European Soy Supply Chain

Posted on March, 04 2022

Europeans are unwittingly wiping out forests across the world. According to new research, the average European consumes 60.6 kg of soy per year, the majority of which can be linked to deforested areas and converted savannahs and grasslands in South America. This means that contributing to the destruction of precious natural ecosystems is always just one meal away.

Commissioned by WWF, the new research titled “Mapping the European Soy Supply Chain – Embedded Soy in Animal Products Consumed in the EU27+UK” was conducted by Profundo, an independent not-for-profit company. It shows 90% of the soy Europeans eat is not listed as an ingredient. Instead, it is consumed indirectly as soy is the main animal feed used to produce meat, eggs, fish and dairy products. The research is supported by WWF’s Eat4Change project, funded by the European Commission’s Development Education and Awareness Raising Programme (DEAR).