Soy milk was first developed in the us by John Harvey Kellogg, who was the inventor of corn flakes and granola and head of the Battle Creek Sanitarium for over 50 years. A student of Kellogg's, Dr. Harry W. Miller took Kellogg's knowledge of soy milk with him to China. Miller developed processes to make the soy milk more palatable and began production on a factory-scale in China in 1936. In various developing countries, the scarce supply of cows milk has made it desirable to invest in the development of plant protein beverages. Today's replacements for dairy milk are variously referred to as milk substitutes, milk beverage alternatives and non-dairy beverages.
Soy milks are just one example of such beverages available on the market today.
Major Ingredients Non-dairy beverages can be made form soybeans, tofu, grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Whole soy beans are used as the main ingredient in most products. Many labels list the beans as organic whole soy beans to attract customers who prefer naturally grown products. Soy protein isolate, a concentrated protein derived from soy beans is the second most common main ingredient. A few products use Tofu as the main ingredient.