You just can’t keep Soylent down.
No, we don’t mean the meal replacement beverage Soylent produces, but rather the company itself, which has proven remarkably resilient despite a decidedly tough 2016, filled with product recalls and yes, sick customers. On Friday, Soylent announced that it would begin its latest Soylent Powder — version 1.7. This new iteration promises to be an improvement upon Powder 1.6, with adjustments based upon “community responses to taste, texture, and the overall customer experience.” The meal replacement company noted that its customer base provided plenty of feedback around everything from viscosity and flavor profile to digestion and sustainable ingredients, and Powder 1.7 is the result.
So what’s different? According to Soylent, its customers actually wanted “a more neutral flavor profile,” and as such, Powder 1.7 is less sweet than its predecessor. Both natural and artificial flavors have been decreased, as have sucralose levels, though a bit more sodium has been added. And apparently, customers also took issue with the consistency of the old Soylent, which is why the new version promises to be “thinner” going down the gullet.
Most importantly, however, is the fact that Powder 1.7 will no longer include algal flour, which Soylent previously identified as the culprit in cases of sickness that arose from both their bars and their powdered drink formula earlier this year.
“With these changes, our team believes we have responded to the issues a small number of community members experienced after consuming Powder 1.6,” Soylent said. “Many of the other sensory changes we made were already planned for this version. So if you’re a diehard Soylent fan, rest assured that your feedback is being taken to heart, and also to your stomach, as the company continues to iterate upon its formulas.
“The Soylent team welcomes the feedback we receive from our community,” the blog post concluded, “It has helped us with many of the key decisions and improvements we have made to our formula and our business model from the very beginning. We value your input and appreciate your trust and support as we continue to grow.”
