However, if you have a concern, you can purchase soy foods that have a non-GMO label on them. Be prepared, though, to find a more limited availability, especially among the more modern soy products, such as soy meat substitutes. In many ways, tofu is the vegan equivalent of cottage cheese. Whereas cottage cheese comes from milk, tofu is derived from soy milk. Soy milk is the liquid that is produced from pressing ground soybeans that have been briefly simmered.
Magnesium chloride is added to the soy milk, which separates the soy milk into curds and whey.
The precipitated curds are formed into blocks, which are termed tofu. A similar process is used to make cottage cheese from milk. The whey is not removed from silken tofu during manufacturing and is blended back into the curds. This gives silken tofu a smoother, more custard-like texture than block tofu. Traditional tofu has the whey removed, and the curds are pressed into blocks.