Soylent was forced to pull its meal-replacement powders off the market after customers reported suffering from severe gastrointestinal events.
A similar event occurred with their Soylent Food Bar lines. The company is now analyzing their common ingredients to find a link that may indicate why the products are making people sick.
Ars Technica suggests that the combination of three soy proteins is not correctly balanced, which could trigger an intolerance reaction in customers. This is based on the fact that the company has not found any trace of contamination in their Powder 1.6 and Bar products.
But Soylent argues that allergies have been ruled out due to customers having eaten Soylent products in the past without any health issue whatsoever.
“For the past several weeks, we have worked aggressively to uncover why people were having these negative experiences. This has included product testing, an exhaustive industry search, and discussions with many of our suppliers. Our tests all came back negative for food pathogens, toxins or outside contamination,” wrote Soylent in its blog.
Contamination and allergies ruled out as potential causes
Not all clients that consumed bars from the same batch that made people sick showed signs of discomfort. According to Soylent, it is a 0.1 percent of customers who consumed Powder 1.6 who reported gastrointestinal issues that appear to be related to the reports issued by those who consumed Soylent Bars. The company points out that none of the customers who consumed the 1.5 line reported similar events, whose composition is very similar to 1.6. It also appears that other Soylent products such as Drink and Coffiest are not involved in the problem.
Soylent expects to remove the harmful ingredients by Q1 of 2017, as it expects to resume shipping procedures as fast as possible.
Anyone that has experienced sickness after consuming Soylent Powder 1.6 should send a report to info@soylent.com.
Soylent’s nutrition bar is vegan, free of nuts and lactose It has protein, vitamins, and minerals, and it is expected to provide 12 percent of a person’s daily caloric intake. The bar contains the same compounds than Soylent Powder and its beverages, but in a different presentation. A 12-pack bundle of bars costs $22.80 for those subscribed to Soylent and $24 in regular retail displays. In essence, one could receive a whole day’s caloric intake with eight bars. Putting it in perspective, spending less than $20 for full-day nutrition is a pretty good deal, although one would have to relinquish from added sugars, fat, cheese, meat, and anything that vegans are not willing to consume.
Vegans enjoy lower body-mass indexes and mortality rates, reduced risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol, and lower risk of developing many types of cancer. Scientists suggest that a major adoption of a vegan diet would avoid over 8 million premature deaths worldwide. This is also due to red meat being classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization.
People are now looking at alternative methods of obtaining proteins and nutrients. That’s where Soylent comes in, but unless they can assure their customers that their products are safe and delicious, people will continue to resort to all-you-can-eat and fast food venues for convenience and taste.
Source: Soylent