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Soylent Blamed an Algae Product for Its Customers Illnesses and It Backfired

  • December 21, 2016

Tech industry meal replacement company Soylent is in hot water over its attempts to blame their clients’ violent gastrointestinal issues after eating their products on their algae supplier. According to Motherboard, passing the blame has caused the supplier to stop selling their products to Soylent.

Supplier issues aside, Soylent claims its products meet all your daily requirements in a powder or bottle, and this isn’t the first time the company has been in trouble. From the start, Soylent has shirked responsibility for issues with contamination or flaws in production, as early on consumers began complaining of suffering from hours of vomiting, dehydration and diarrhea, some requiring hospitalization.

The primary premise behind Soylent is that you can drink your complete nutritional requirements and never have to eat food again. However, whether it makes you violently sick or not, manufactured liquid food cannot adequately replace the nutrients and micronutrients your body extracts from organic, whole foods.

It doesn’t matter whether you get your “fake” food from Soylent or any other manufactured food source. The point is no manufactured or processed food can ever replace whole, fresh produce, proteins and fruits.

When it comes to eating "well," there are some foundational basics I believe will likely never change. This includes the recommendations to avoid processed foods and limit your sugar consumption. My food pyramid for optimal health is almost the inverse of the original USDA food pyramid, featuring healthful fats and vegetables on the bottom, followed by high-quality proteins, fruits, and lastly, grains.