Soy lecithin in Almond Breeze almond milk
First published on December 11, 2010
August 29, 2012 update: Almond Breeze now uses sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin
Many people look to almond milk as an alternative to cow’s milk and soy milk due to dairy and soy allergies. California-based Blue Diamond produces Almond Breeze, which is one of the tastier and more widespread brands of almond milk. However, Almond Breeze contains soy in the form of soy lecithin (which seems to be in almost everything these days)!
I wrote to Blue Diamond to ask about the soy content and got a nice response:
Soy lecithin is currently used in our Almond Breeze product line as an emulsifier. The amount of soy lecithin that is used is very small – less than 0.1% by weight – or 0.25g per 8 fluid ounces.
To make the lecithin, the soybean goes through a very extensive process whereby most of the soy proteins are removed. For most individuals this may not pose any health issues; however there are those that are more soy sensitive that should consult their physician regarding this product’s appropriateness for their dietary needs.
Blue Diamond recognizes that there may be trace amounts of soy proteins that remain in the lecithin. Blue Diamond is committed to its consumers and providing them with the highest quality products.
In answer to the huge demand from our consumer to eliminate all soy from our Almond Breeze, Blue Diamond has a SOY FREE version in our Refrigerated Half Gallon carton.
I haven’t seen the refrigerated, non-soy version of Almond Breeze in Canada yet. However, I have noticed some alternatives: Pacific Natural Food’s Organic Almond (mostly non-fortified) and Silk’s True Almond (fortified with calcium and vitamins D and B12). Silk’s True Almond in particular seems to disappear very fast from my local grocery store’s shelves whenever it goes on sale.
As for other dairy beverage alternatives, I’ve tried hemp milk and unfortunately did not like the taste. (Hemp-based chapstick on the other hand, is quite good.)
August 29, 2012 update: Almond Breeze now uses sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin
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December 14th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Julia says:
very imformative.
January 5th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Vic says:
Thanks for the article, but I would be more concerned about the Carrageenan ingredient. I will try to find Pacific Natural Food’s Organic Almond in my city, hopefully it doesn’t have too much crap in it.
January 9th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Kim says:
I try my best to avoid soy but it’s true that it’s in almost everything since it’s a very CHEAP source of protein. I’m also cutting dairy out of my diet so I was so happy that I liked the taste of Almond Breeze almond milk. They say that their Almond Breeze blows away soy milk so you dont expect to find soy IN it! I was quite disappointed & am now going to buy something else that contains NO soy. I’ll have to try Silk’s True Almond. I really wish these companies would stop putting soy in everything. Maybe if we quit buying their products, they’d eventually get the message.