
At MorningStar Farms®, we choose soy as our main protein source because it’s a high-quality protein and has a neutral flavor profile that acts as the perfect canvas for creating delicious plant-based foods. We’ve been on a plant-based journey since 1974 and believe that great tasting, nutritious, and environmentally conscious meal choices are a delicious way to take care of our families and the planet.
There’s a growing sentiment that businesses should place weight on societal interests and not just those of their business. This is something we believe strongly at MorningStar Farms®; the environment is everyone’s responsibility. As innovators in the food science space, we know our ingredient suppliers play a critical role in not only making our foods accessible, but also environmentally responsible and aligned to our overall vision.
MorningStar Farms® is now partnering with Benson Hill®, an innovator in plant-based proteins, to begin sourcing various soy ingredients for our foods. Benson Hill’s seed-to-shelf innovation pipeline leverages plant genomics to drive ingredient innovation through its CropOS™ platform which accelerates the path to market by employing proprietary phenotyping, predictive breeding, and environmental modeling algorithms. This allows plant breeders to optimize the protein content of its soy varieties and the optimal environments for these varieties to be planted, leading to improved nutrient density and environmental attributes, as well as strong on-farm performance.
This year, MorningStar Farms® will start incorporating soy ingredients derived from non-GMO, ultra-high protein soybeans that deliver at least 20 percent more protein right out of the ground compared to commodity U.S. soybeans. Through the elimination of a traditional soybean processing step – concentration – this ultra-high protein variety uses 70 percent less water and 50 percent less CO2e. Because the soybean is higher in protein to start, there’s less processing required to get the final ingredient to necessary protein concentration levels.
We’re excited about this partnership with Benson Hill and what we can do together to reduce our impact on the environment, while continuing to give consumers delicious plant-based options that are good for them and the planet. Efforts such as this are part of Kellogg’s Better Days® Promise to advance sustainable and equitable access to food by addressing the intersection of wellbeing, hunger, sustainability and equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) for 3 billion people by the end of 2030.
To learn more visit MorningStarFarms.com and bensonhill.com. Follow @morningstarfarms on Facebook and Instagram and @MorningStrFarms on Twitter.