Developments in Science : Soylent - The Cure for World Hunger?

Soylent - The Cure for World Hunger?

Rob Rhinehart, a 24 year old is pioneering a potentially world changing product branded as 'Soylent'. It is essentially a food substitute that supposedly supplies all of a human body's daily nutritional needs. It is, in effect a mixture of everything the body requires. This list of ingredients includes vital elements such as iron,magnesium and copper as well as vitamins, minerals and macronutrients such as amino acids, carbohydrates and fat. Soylent also includes non-essential substances such as antioxidants in order to help prevent cell damage, and probiotics to maintain symbiosis between harmful and 'friendly' bacteria. Rhinehart has also experimented with nootropics (drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that purportedly improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration) in order to allow the consumer to become fully sustained on Soylent alone.

The project, however, didn’t come without its shortcomings. Any minute change in the proportion of an ingredient can result in an illness which Rhinehart experienced on numerous occasions, when first tested, the formula omitted iron, which caused Rhinehart to report his heart had begun to race. In other early experiments, Soylent caused Rhinehart to have cardiac arrhythmia and burning sensations. There are other drawbacks too; it doesn't keep long after mixing with water which would make it entirely impractical for those living in LIDCs due to the lack of clean water. In terms of first world problems, most people would deem it unthinkable to only have Soylent for their way of food.

So Soylent is not all perfect then? Well it’s not surprising that nutritional experts were quick to criticise it, deeming it as "dangerous", "ludicrous", and "a red flag for a potential eating disorder". It does seem rather improbable that one could survive completely off a food substitute; sceptics arguing that in its present form, Soylent may lack some nutrients essential for normal body functioning and/or may fail to provide nutrients in appropriate proportions, potentially causing medical problems if used long-term. However Rhinehart has supposedly managed to subsist almost solely off Soylent for a total of seven months without any apparent problems. He argued that ‘we need fruits and veggies, though – we need vitamins and minerals. We need carbs, not bread. Amino acids, not milk’; which is entirely reasonable. I admit, at first I was dubious at the prospect of a complete food substitute but it seems unfaultable, our body needs essential nutrients, and in their pure form, in the correct balance you avoid the toxins, allergens, carcinogens as well as waste that you get with conventional food, thus preventing an extensive array of illnesses, to name a few – diabetes, obesity and cancer. Not only this but Rhinehart claims it slightly boosts the capability of the brain and says he feels far more alert and active.

The reason I am particularly interested in this revolutionary development, however, is its potential to greatly benefit developing nations. Soylent can be mostly produced from the products of local agriculture which means this could be a truly permanent solution for LICs. At a world wide scale it would be immensely cheap to produce, Rhinehart suggests it would cost no more than $35 for one fully grown man per month to have a complete Soylent diet of 2500 calories a day. Not only this but due to the lack of excess substances, it means that the body produces less excrement - this would be particularly beneficial for countries in the developing world, where inadequate sanitation is a prevalent source of disease. Concerning the environment, currently agriculture is having a colossal impact on global warming, cattle farming and rice paddies being amongst the major causes of greenhouse gases. These adverse effects on the climate would be greatly reduced if Soylent were to be produced instead.

The only issue remaining is for Soylent to actually be funded and distributed through the help of organisations such as UNICEF, the World Food Program, USAID and Action Against Hunger. However with over $1 million in preorders already received for Soylent worldwide, it appears that the solution to "the future of food" may come to fruition sooner than anticipated.