On sale in UK, high protein ‘meal in a glass’ (with GM soya)

A HIGH protein health drink described as the ‘future of food’ has gone on sale in Britain for the first time.

Soylent is marketed as a meal replacement which offers a healthy mix of ‘26 vitamins and minerals’ that is suitable for everyone, including vegans, and good for the environment.

However, the main ingredient, other than water, is genetically modified soya, which is among a group of ‘Frankenstein food’ crops that many consumers in Britain and Europe are wary of.

Soylent – named, bizarrely, after the artificial food in the 1973 science fiction film Soylent Green, which turned out to be made from dead people – was created by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and is promoted as ideal for those too busy to cook or eat a proper meal.

In its first launch outside the US, it is being sold in Britain on Amazon in ready-to- drink cartons in three flavours – cacao, cafe mocha and original – at £39.99 for a pack of 12. Each carton has 400 calories.

In America, GM crops are associated with the heavy use of controversial chemicals, specifically the pesticide glyphosate which has been implicated in causing cancer in a recent court case in California.

GM farming in the US has also been linked to the development of superweeds that are resistant to powerful chemical sprays.

The US recipe for Soylent contains several GM ingredients that have not been approved as safe in Britain and Europe. These have been replaced for the British version. It still contains one type of GM soya, Soy Protein Isolate, which provides the protein and is approved here.

Liz O’Neill, of the GM Freeze protest group, said: ‘There is a lot of pressure coming from America for Britain to drop its food standards and do away with the labelling of GM foods.

‘ Our concern is that Soylent could be a Trojan horse for other American GM foods.’ Soylent said it had worked with the UK Food Standards Agency on the British version.

A spokesman said: ‘ We proudly label our products as Genetically Modified (GM), we’re pro-science and see GM ingredients as being a great advancement in tackling our planet’s issues of overpopulation and sustainability. Organic farming cannot sustain the needs of our rising population.’