The meal replacement substance beloved by techies, Soylent, has been banned by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Rob Rhinehart, CEO and founder of Soylent producer Rosa Foods, wrote in a post on the Soylent website that the CFIA informed the company in early October that Soylent does not meet select requirements to qualify as a meal replacement — meaning the company is unable to ship to Canada until the matter is resolved.
“Although we feel strongly that these requirements do not reflect the current understanding of human nutritional needs, we respect the CFIA’s regulations and will fully comply with any regulatory action they deem appropriate,” wrote Rhinehart.
The light-brown liquid consumable purports to meet all nutritional requirements for an average adult, and is composed of ingredients including whey isolate and oat powder.
Soylent first began shipping to Canada in June 2015, making it the first international destination the company ventured to outside of the United States.
Soylent was developed by Rob Rhinehart, a mid-20s software developer who wanted to streamline the process of buying, preparing and eating food. “Food is the fossil fuel of human energy,” he stated in a manifesto-like blog post titled ‘How I Stopped Eating Food.’
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing towards the future of food, however, particularly in the Canadian market. Last October, Health Canada issued a warning that advised Canadian consumers against eating Soylent’s food bars, following reports that customers were getting sick.
He also noted that the company is working Health Canada and the CFIA to resolve the issue “as quickly as possible,” but that it has no firm timeline yet.
In a FAQ on the ban, the company assures subscribers they will not be charged while the issue is ongoing.
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