5 ms·

Chipotle's issues were sanitation related. Soylent's problem was people being allergic to an ingredient they didn't know they were allergic to.

by ng12 10y ago

TillE 10y ago
You (and Soylent) have absolutely no idea whether that's true. Which is the problem.
- ng12 10y ago
  I believe Soylent has a pretty good idea. They know what changed in their formula, they know the difference between the products receiving complaints and the products not, and they have evidence from other companies (Honey Stinger) who had similar issues.
  - dzhiurgis 10y ago
    I wonder if they run any sort of A/B testing. Wouldn't harm if they sent few packages with one ingredient missing once in a while, then see what's the response.
    - DashRattlesnake 10y ago
      > I wonder if they run any sort of A/B testing. Wouldn't harm if they sent few packages with one ingredient missing once in a while, then see what's the response. The idea of using A/B testing for food safety testing is horrifying.
      - dzhiurgis 10y ago
        Why? Do you actually think anything bad will happen if you ate for a month sans one micronutrient will permanently damage you?
- baddox 10y ago
  How might they acquire that knowledge, other than through the process they seem to currently be executing?
  - Alupis 10y ago
    > How might they acquire that knowledge, other than through the process they seem to currently be executing? Well, a lot of folks would like to see a bit more care paid attention to the entire process. This isn't the first time Soylent has shipped potentially dangerous product. Not long ago, they shipped their new bottled formula to folks, and it arrived covered in mold! Their snack bars have made people violently ill, and now their powder too. Every product Soylent makes, is making or has made people ill. Soylent has practically zero quality control/testing, and doesn't have on-site staff dedicated to ensuring their product is safe. They send out a few carefully selected samples to an external lab, but that's far from continuous testing of the product rolling off the line. Some might attribute it to the "silicon valley" mindset Soylent has. "We'll disrupt the food industry - but we won't bother to learn what it takes to produce uniformly clean and safe product". There's good reasons the "big guys" spend so much on lab personnel and equipment. If people all around the world started getting sick from Coca-Cola, it wouldn't be good - to say the least. Edit - Adding sources: [1] http://motherboard.vice.com/read/soylent-20-shipments-were-delayed-due-to-mold http://motherboard.vice.com/read/soylent-20-shipments-were-d... [2] http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/10/reports-of-violent-vomiting-diarrhea-from-bars-has-soylent-on-the-defense/ http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/10/reports-of-violent-vo... [3] http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-soylent-recall-20161027-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-soylent-... [4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12812730 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12812730 [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8NCigh54jg&feature=youtu.be&t=5m50s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8NCigh54jg&feature=youtu.be...
    - ng12 10y ago
      Do you have sources? I was of the opinion that all of this stuff is heavily regulated by the FDA. What makes you think Soylent really criminally negligent, or at least any more so than any other food manufacturer? FWIW, the ingredient in question is "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA: http://investors.terravia.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=891472 http://investors.terravia.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=89...
endophage 10y ago
Probably not "allergic" given the reported reactions. More likely intolerant. Important distinction, an intolerance isn't going to kill you.
M_Grey 10y ago
Do you have any links that prove the "allergy" hypothesis?

Chipotle's issues were sanitation related. Soylent's problem was people being allergic to an ingredient they didn't know they were allergic to.

by ng12 10y ago

Chipotle's issues were sanitation related. Soylent's problem was people being allergic to an ingredient they didn't know they were allergic to.

TillE 10y ago

You (and Soylent) have absolutely no idea whether that's true. Which is the problem.

ng12 10y ago
I believe Soylent has a pretty good idea. They know what changed in their formula, they know the difference between the products receiving complaints and the products not, and they have evidence from other companies (Honey Stinger) who had similar issues.
- dzhiurgis 10y ago
  I wonder if they run any sort of A/B testing. Wouldn't harm if they sent few packages with one ingredient missing once in a while, then see what's the response.
  - DashRattlesnake 10y ago
    > I wonder if they run any sort of A/B testing. Wouldn't harm if they sent few packages with one ingredient missing once in a while, then see what's the response. The idea of using A/B testing for food safety testing is horrifying.
    - dzhiurgis 10y ago
      Why? Do you actually think anything bad will happen if you ate for a month sans one micronutrient will permanently damage you?
baddox 10y ago
How might they acquire that knowledge, other than through the process they seem to currently be executing?
- Alupis 10y ago
  > How might they acquire that knowledge, other than through the process they seem to currently be executing? Well, a lot of folks would like to see a bit more care paid attention to the entire process. This isn't the first time Soylent has shipped potentially dangerous product. Not long ago, they shipped their new bottled formula to folks, and it arrived covered in mold! Their snack bars have made people violently ill, and now their powder too. Every product Soylent makes, is making or has made people ill. Soylent has practically zero quality control/testing, and doesn't have on-site staff dedicated to ensuring their product is safe. They send out a few carefully selected samples to an external lab, but that's far from continuous testing of the product rolling off the line. Some might attribute it to the "silicon valley" mindset Soylent has. "We'll disrupt the food industry - but we won't bother to learn what it takes to produce uniformly clean and safe product". There's good reasons the "big guys" spend so much on lab personnel and equipment. If people all around the world started getting sick from Coca-Cola, it wouldn't be good - to say the least. Edit - Adding sources: [1] http://motherboard.vice.com/read/soylent-20-shipments-were-delayed-due-to-mold http://motherboard.vice.com/read/soylent-20-shipments-were-d... [2] http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/10/reports-of-violent-vomiting-diarrhea-from-bars-has-soylent-on-the-defense/ http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/10/reports-of-violent-vo... [3] http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-soylent-recall-20161027-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-soylent-... [4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12812730 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12812730 [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8NCigh54jg&feature=youtu.be&t=5m50s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8NCigh54jg&feature=youtu.be...
  - ng12 10y ago
    Do you have sources? I was of the opinion that all of this stuff is heavily regulated by the FDA. What makes you think Soylent really criminally negligent, or at least any more so than any other food manufacturer? FWIW, the ingredient in question is "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA: http://investors.terravia.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=891472 http://investors.terravia.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=89...

endophage 10y ago

Probably not "allergic" given the reported reactions. More likely intolerant. Important distinction, an intolerance isn't going to kill you.

M_Grey 10y ago

Do you have any links that prove the "allergy" hypothesis?