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US soybean farmers see growth potential in edamame
MULBERRY, Ark. (AP) — A small but growing number of farmers have been experimenting with an edible soybean as they look to capitalize on Americans' interest in adding non-meat proteins to their diets.
The United States is one of the world's top soybean producers, but most beans grown here are used to make cooking oil and feed farm animals. They aren't eaten whole.
Now, some farmers from Arkansas to Minnesota are planting a type called edamame, which is commonly used in Asian cuisine.
Food trend experts and farmers say edamame remains a niche product — somewhere between chia seeds and quinoa in popularity — but they see potential for growth if food companies can figure out an efficient processing system for a crop that must be harvested and packaged quickly. Plus, with meat prices rising, Americans are interested in less expensive, alternative proteins. And possible marketing worries, including the notion that soybeans are livestock food, have faded.
http://news.yahoo.com/us-soybean-fa...RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3
MULBERRY, Ark. (AP) — A small but growing number of farmers have been experimenting with an edible soybean as they look to capitalize on Americans' interest in adding non-meat proteins to their diets.
The United States is one of the world's top soybean producers, but most beans grown here are used to make cooking oil and feed farm animals. They aren't eaten whole.
Now, some farmers from Arkansas to Minnesota are planting a type called edamame, which is commonly used in Asian cuisine.
Food trend experts and farmers say edamame remains a niche product — somewhere between chia seeds and quinoa in popularity — but they see potential for growth if food companies can figure out an efficient processing system for a crop that must be harvested and packaged quickly. Plus, with meat prices rising, Americans are interested in less expensive, alternative proteins. And possible marketing worries, including the notion that soybeans are livestock food, have faded.
http://news.yahoo.com/us-soybean-fa...RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3
