“PRO GMO”. In Hollywood, that’s attention-getting advertising. It’s common to see messages criticizing
genetically modified organisms or Monsanto in Los Angeles. It’s a form of street art that’s often seen alongside messages of #PMA (positive mental attitude) and social justice.
Walking into many grocery stores in Greater Los Angeles, or on-campus in the free speech zone of my school, Los Angeles City College, results in being aggressively solicited by Greenpeace chuggers to join their anti-GMO cause. Colleagues and friends have attempted to shame me for eating certain foods because they contain GMOs. Some of them recently started eating at Chipotle because the chain has declared their menu to be free of GMOs.
Soylent is liquid or powder meal replacement. It’s meant to give people the option to have the proper nutrients and calories without spending a lot of time preparing meals. It doesn’t appeal to everyone, and some people can’t get over that the name is similar to Soylent Green, but some of my friends are enthusiastic customers. Before it was officially released, the Soylent Kickstarter raised over $754k.
When Soylent 2.0 was being launched, some alt-medders were upset to find out it contained genetically modified organisms. Instead of changing the formula or apologizing, Soylent explained GMOs on their website and they are now embracing it in their ads.
However you feel about replacing all or some of your meals with a drink, I think it’s great that they aren’t caving into the nonsense of GMO fears. Perhaps the Soylent team realizes that we aren’t all into pseudoscience and they might be able to educate some people in the process.
More info on genetically modified organisms:
The Skeptic’s Dictionary
NPR: Former Anti-GMO Activist Says Science Changed His Mind
