Food for future
by Leung Ka Siu (5B)

Recently, a food product that covers all human nutritional requirements has been created.  It is called “Soylent”.  It is in powder form and we can drink it after mixing it with water.  As all nutrition we need can be found in this drink, some people think that this kind of "food" will soon replace the ordinary food that we eat every day.

The nutritional content of Soylent was designed by dieticians. Therefore, it is healthy as the nutritional value is high with a proper amount of fat.  We do not need to worry about the overweight problems even if we drink it as a meal replacement. Moreover, it contains no preservatives which may potentially cause detrimental effects to the human body.  It is even claimed that most of the ordinary food contains preservatives but drinking Soylent can keep you away from them.

On the other hand, the Soylent may help people who suffer from starvation.  In developing countries, natural disasters such as droughts or floods may destroy the farms so the harvest may be affected or become unstable which may lead to starvation and food shortage.  In fact, the supply of artificial food like "Soylent" is very stable and will not be affected by natural disasters.  Its invention is therefore believed to be useful to people in need.

However, there are some people who do not prefer this kind of artificial "food".  They think there is no enjoyment in drinking "Soylent" as a replacement of ordinary food.  It is emphasized that no matter how busy people are, they should squeeze time to gather with their loved ones during mealtime.  Being busy should not be the reason to support this kind of food.  They should make themselves "sacrifice" their valuable work time to enjoy food (here I mean the real type) with their family and friends. If people drink Soylent as a meal replacement, they may therefore lose their precious time "eating" in an enjoyable sense.

Apart from this, the opponents are also worried that the Soylent is not thoroughly developed.  Although it has been tested, some think that there may be unknown side effects in the long term which may cause potential risks to human body, to take some examples, indigestion or allergies.  That is why we should stay alert for the long term consequences.

In conclusion, even though there seems to be many advantages eating this kind of artificial food, it cannot fully replace our normal diet since the negative effects are yet to be revealed.