America has always been the land of many cultures, but its nutrition advice and food offerings have been slow to adapt to the diversity of recipients of these programs. N. Chapman Associates, Inc., on behalf of the Soyfoods Association of North America and consumer groups representing multi-cultural recipients, encouraged inclusion of veggie burgers, tofu, soymilk, edamame, and other soyfoods in the National Food Pyramid for Children and reimbursement for these animal-product alternatives in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program and the Supplemental Food Program for Women Infants and Children. Crediting tofu and cultured soy products as meat alternatives in reimbursable school meals required development of a logarithmic method to determine protein equivalencies to animal products.
The demand for high quality plant protein based products has grown significantly in the school and WIC population. Lastly, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines and MyPlate, updated federal food guidance approach, included alternative dietary patterns and included veggie burgers, other meat alternatives, soymilk, tofu, tempeh, cultured soy, and soyfoods in the protein group and dairy group.
