So we’ve already heard about fat-free, low fat and sugar-free. However a new report shows that in the U.S. energy drinks, cereals and snack bars should include soy in order to boost our health. Is it yet another trap to fool the consumer, or is soy as healthy as the study suggests?

During the past decade, consumer awareness of soy as a healthy food has increased from 67% in 1998 to 85 percent in 2007, according to figures from the United Soybean Board’s 14th Annual National Report (2007).

Although soy has been used in packaged food and beverage products for decades, it continues to make new inroads and increase its appeal among U.S. consumers, especially those interested in health and nutrition.

However in 2002, the British government’s expert committee on the toxicity of food (CoT) published the results of its inquiry into the safety of plant oestrogens, mainly from soya proteins, in modern food. Yet little has happened to curb soya’s growth since.

Indeed, there is a growing consensus that plant-based foods like soy, as opposed to animal-based foods, deliver unique, healthful benefits. At the same time, soy continues to “mainstream” into regular supermarkets and new product categories, from smoothies and energy drinks to cereals and baked goods. Yet, the the government’s expert committee concluded that in general the health benefits claimed for soy were not supported by clear evidence and judged that there could be risks from high levels of consumption for certain age groups.

Instead the benefits from soy seem to once again belong to the manufacturers, since it increases the protein content of processed meat products, it replaces them altogether in vegetarian foods, it stops industrial breads shrinking and it makes cakes hold on to their water.