Soybean

The soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most economically important crops in the world. Domesticated in China over 3,000 years ago, it is a legume that produces small, round beans in hairy pods. The beans are remarkably high in both protein and oil, which has made them central to food systems across East Asia and, in the modern era, to global food manufacturing and animal feed.

Traditional soy foods — tofu, tempeh, miso, soy sauce, soy milk, and edamame — have been staples of East and Southeast Asian diets for centuries. In the 20th century, industrial processing expanded the soybean’s role enormously: soybean oil became the world’s most consumed vegetable oil, soy meal became the dominant protein source in livestock feed, and soy derivatives found their way into thousands of processed food products.

In Australia, soybeans are used across all these categories. Tofu and soy milk are mainstream supermarket products, soy sauce is a kitchen staple, and soy-based ingredients appear in a large proportion of packaged foods. Domestic soybean production is relatively small, concentrated in northern New South Wales and Queensland, with most of Australia’s soy needs met by imports.