During this webinar, US Soy will walk viewers through the conflicting messaging around ultra-processed foods to communicate the value of high-quality nutrition to health-conscious consumers. Processing is not inherently bad, and soy is a great case study in the limitations of classification systems that do not take into consideration the true nutritional value that some processed foods bring to the table. The criticisms of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) do not apply to soy-based meat and dairy alternatives, which are classified as unprocessed or minimally processed foods. Therefore, the classification of soy-based meat and dairy alternatives as UPFs is nutritionally confusing and may cause consumers to reject foods that potentially offer health benefits.

Dr. Messina is the Director of Nutrition Science and Research for the Soy Nutrition Institute Global, the co-owner of Nutrition Matters, Inc., a nutrition consulting company, and an adjunct associate professor at Loma Linda University. Over the past three decades, Dr. Messina has devoted his time to the study of the health effects of soy foods and soybean components such as isoflavones.  He writes extensively on these subjects, having published more than 100 articles and book chapters for health professionals, and has given more than 700 presentations to both consumer and professional groups in 55 countries.  Dr. Messina is the chairperson of the editorial advisory board of, and writes a regular column for The Soy Connection, a quarterly newsletter that reaches over 250,000 dietitians and other health professionals.  He has also organized and chaired ten international symposia on the role of soy in preventing and treating chronic disease and has organized ten meetings in the United States, China, India, Brazil and Italy.