Soya Flour | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Finely milled powder produced from whole or defatted soybeans (Glycine max), available in full-fat and solvent-extracted (defatted) forms. It is widely used to boost protein and nutrient content in bakery goods, meat products, infant formulas, and other processed foods, and also provides emulsifying properties due to its native lecithin.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Soya flour is broadly approved as a safe food ingredient across major jurisdictions with no formal Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) established. However, soy protein is a recognised major food allergen capable of causing reactions ranging from mild symptoms to rare severe anaphylaxis, particularly in individuals with concurrent peanut allergy. The flour also contains phytoestrogenic isoflavones that may interfere with thyroid hormone absorption and affect hormonal balance, raising specific concerns for infants and people with thyroid disease.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Approved food ingredient permitted across EU food categories. Soy/soya is listed as a major allergen in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, requiring mandatory prominent labelling in all products containing it or its derivatives.source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) / Food Standards Scotland (FSS) (United Kingdom)	Approved	Permitted food ingredient; soy is a regulated allergen under UK retained food law requiring mandatory labelling. The COT conducted a specific allergen risk assessment (TOX-2020-39) on adventitious soya contamination in wheat flour, establishing reference doses for soya protein elicitation thresholds.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Solvent extracted soya flour is standardised under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 (Chapter 2.4). Permitted as an ingredient in Protein-rich wheat flour (Protein prachur atta) up to 15% of the product. Extraction solvent is restricted to n-Hexane (Food Grade) only under the Prohibition and Restriction on Sales Regulations. Standards listed for revision under the FSSAI standards roadmap.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Other — Individuals with soy allergy must strictly avoid soya flour; soy protein is a major food allergen capable of causing reactions ranging from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to rare severe anaphylaxis, with heightened risk in those with concurrent peanut allergy.

Infants — Soya flour contains phytoestrogenic isoflavones that may affect hormonal and endocrine development in infants; soy-based products should only be fed to infants under medical supervision.

Thyroid Disease — Soy isoflavones can inhibit thyroid peroxidase and interfere with absorption of thyroid hormone replacement medication (e.g., levothyroxine), potentially worsening hypothyroidism.

Pregnancy — The phytoestrogenic isoflavone content of soya flour has uncertain effects on fetal hormonal and reproductive development; pregnant women consuming large amounts should seek medical advice.

Ibs — Soya flour contains oligosaccharides (notably raffinose and stachyose) classified as FODMAPs that can exacerbate bloating, gas, and bowel disturbance in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. FDA Food Additive Status List (formerly EAFUS) – Substances Added to Food, 2026. fda.gov
2FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations – Chapter 2.4: Cereals and Cereal Products (Version 4, May 2025), 2025. fssai.gov.in
3FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations – Version X (April 2023), 2023. fssai.gov.in
4other. Allergen risk assessment for adventitious contamination of wheat flour with soya – UK Committee on Toxicity (COT), TOX-2020-39 Annex A, 2020. cot.food.gov.uk
5EFSA. Re-evaluation of soybean hemicellulose (E 426) as a food additive, 2017. efsa.europa.eu

Independently researched5 citations