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Comment by tekni5 | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't mind a product that can replace food, if it's cheaper, more convenient, provides all necessary nutrition and eliminates the feeling of hunger.

However the biggest issue I have with Soylent is that I cannot trust it. It hasn't been tested long term and it doesn't sound like it's being developed by people who know what they are doing.

Also let's stop pretending it's something new, stuff like Plumpy'nut have existed for a while, used in developing nations for malnutrition treatment. I bet it would be as effective as Soylent as a food replacement for a few months. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy%27nut

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> However the biggest issue I have with Soylent is that I cannot trust it. It hasn't been tested long term and it doesn't sound like it's being developed by people who know what they are doing.

Totally valid point, but look at the alternatives for people without the time and money to buy nice ingredients and cook for themselves. I used to eat fast food nearly every day out of convenience and because I didn't know how to eat better. Frozen dinners are no better.

It's not that I think food executives don't know what they are doing. In fact, I believe they are knowingly lowering the nutritional quality of affordable food.

So while they might not have experience in the food industry, at least the soylent folks are focusing on the nutrition of their customers as opposed to pure profit.

Not sure if you can compare fast food to Soylent, because there are many different types of fast food and not all of fast food is bad for you. Fast food can also contain vegetables, live cultures, and various assortment of ingredients which are good for you. Overindulgence of anything is bad, fast food just makes it easier because it's easy to get, generally tastes good and is packed with a ton of calories. If you ate fast food very carefully, then you'd probably be okay.

Furthermore, there probably isn't a simple shortcut to nutrition. If you want to be healthy you need to be involved in what you eat.

I'm sure the driving force for Soylent is profit as well, otherwise they would have done years of testing and scientific studies, before releasing a mix of chemicals as a solution to food. I suspect they'll get sued down the road, there is no way to predict what long term effects this will have when someone decides to use it for years.

Very good point, but soylent actually goes a bit too far on the opposite directions. It's a nerdy, mechanistic answer to the problem and, because of that, it won't solve it. It's clearly a strong byproduct of the messed up American way of eating, which is, as you said, the outcome of a long term strategy by the food and distribution industries.

The answer is well priced well balanced and tasty food sold next door to your daily fast food. So, if soylent would really want to change the way America eats, the should be funding a lobby, hire some philosophers and become a politically active think tank. Now they're just a nerdy company that will not appeal to anyone. Not to obese fast food goers, nor culturally elevated liberal people that are aware of the importance of eating well as a social activity and a pleasure, and can make the terrible connection to the much too famous movie -- soylent green.

"it doesn't sound like it's being developed by people who know what they are doing" and "I bet it would be as effective as Soylent" don't fit well together, you're being hypocritical.

Not really because I mentioned "as a food replacement for a few months.", people have reported that Soylent worked for them for some period of time (weeks or months as I understand). All I am saying is that other products that exist may have the same effect. But Soylent isn't marketed as a short term meal replacement, it's marketed for long term use which I assume means years. You can survive on quite a few things for a short period of time, doesn't mean the product is good for you.

Where do I go to buy me some Plumpy'nut? Serious question.

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