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<div style="font-family: Inconsolata">
Main focus: look at the problems, not just the solutions
=Broad structure of the video essay and voiceover text=


==What is the takeaway?==
Takeaway: meal replacements are not appropriate solutions for the problems they claim to fix


''The future will bring many problems for food, and the solution presented by tech companies is not a real solution because it does not address the real problems''
Structure updated [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BA0jS0L09MOIC9Em0rWCvZXwZdpZ8vefWUBsPoXTvLg/edit#gid=0 here.]


Focus on first defining the problems, rather than just coming up with solutions
Voiceover updated [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tOShxsE6FAEeQRJoolI27wSBcCd3y05-J-Y6JRdVAdM/edit here.]


What is the purpose of food? Why do we eat? What does it take to be full? What do you eat when you’re at work? How often do you eat just for pleasure? Do you eat out of necessity?
Structure:


    • Start with climate change – abundance all around us, we take it for granted, it could end, build up the list of problems we could be facing (what qualifies as a problem? Where do we look for solutions? What food problems can be identified today and speculate for the future?)
Intro (0)
    • Techno-solutionism – a default way to deal with problems, starting from silicon valley, propagated around the world
    • meal replacements – a manifestation of techno-solutionism in food. what are they, what principles are associated with them, what problems do they claim to solve (cooking, time management, uncertainty, waste, access, sustainability)
    • deconstructing meal replacements – while addressing the issues identified at the beginning
    • what other alternatives do we have for the way we live today?
    • End with my own experience


Climate change problems in food (1)


'''INTRO'''
Techno-solutionism for problems (2)


Meal replacements as techno-solutionist products (3)


I live in the NL, in an apartment which sits 3m below sea level. I love to eat, and I’m lucky that my local supermarkets are filled to the brim with foods from all over the world. I never have to think about not being able to find the food I want, at any time of the year. Will this convenience, abundance, and the joy of year-round seasons ever end?  
What problems do they claim to solve? (4)


'''CLIMATE CHANGE'''
  Saving time and energy - cooking and eating, post mom economy (4a)


    But the problems lies in startup culture (4aa)


It might, and quite soon. By now, we should all be aware of the catastrophic effects of climate change on our planet. Food is a fragile resource. Earth overshoot day, the day of the year when we’ve used more from nature than it can replenish, moves up every year. Rising and increasingly extreme temperatures will affect not only agriculture, but also imports and exports. If food stopped coming into cities every day, those of us stuck in there would not last long.
  Saving resources - money, waste, sustainability (4b)
The future is grim in most aspects, but especially when it comes to food. It’s not a coincidence that most dystopian views of the future imagine a very bleak diet for most of the world’s population. (soylent green, snowpiercer)


And I am genuinely worried. I love food, and I am probably not willing to give up the convenience of constant access to delicious food. But I’m open to suggestions.
    But their products don’t address the systemic problems (4bb)
 
  Saving humans - better self, better future self, mind vs body (4c)


'''PROBLEMS'''
    But they place sole responsibility on the individual, robot brain (4cc)


So what can we do? What are the ways in which we deal, at least in the western world, with problems? Who is in charge of defining what the problems are, and who do we turn to for solutions?
Conclusion (5)
For better or for worse, ideas come from many places, you just have to be open to receive them, and critical to implement them.
INTRO (0)


In the past few decades, we’ve learned to rely on technology to improve the problems we face in our daily life. And for good reason. From this came the belief that technology can make anything better. And nowhere else is this belief more prominent than in Silicon Valley, the source of most mainstream contemporary technologies we use today.


And yes, they also have food on their mind, with both problems and solution. One of the most controversial proposals to deal with these problems, and a couple other problems which I’ll get to in a while­, comes from Silicon Valley. Their take on it? Give up on food, replace it with stripped-down nutrients. In this video, I want to take a closer look at this range of products, from the problems they are meant to solve, to the culture from which they developed.
I spend most of my days 3m below sea level. I love food, and even though it’s nothing like back home, I still feel really lucky to always have access to foods from all over the world. Still, I can’t help but think about the end of this convenience that I take for granted.


For some people, eating is something they do because they have to. It doesn’t have to taste good, it just has to keep them going. Luckily for them, lots of people in Silicon Valley feel the same, and have figured out a way to make money out of it. Lots of money. Take Rob Reinhart, the founder of Soylent. (him speaking) While it is easy to mock him for his food choices, his way of dealing with what he saw as a problem is very common in Silicon Valley. It’s something called techno-solutionism, the belief that anything can be solved through technology. Why is that so bad? (Evgeni talking about it) His definition addresses the fact that techno-solutionists focus more on finding solutions, than addressing the actual problems. It’s a constant chase for solutions.
Shots of tulips, buildings underwater, superimposed with supermarket rush


The range of problems SV is interested in fixing is a bit more focused on a specific demographic, with a specific lifestyle.
CLIMATE CHANGE (1)


'''MEAL REPLACEMENTS'''
Our economic system has led to a climate catastrophe for our planet. Food is a fragile resource. Every year, we use up resources faster than the earth can replenish them, and that date keeps moving up. On a worldwide scale, ⅓ of all food produced gets wasted.


The products that are meant to revolutionize food for today and tomorrow are meal replacements. The concept – normal food is unsustainable, inefficient, prone to make us waste time and resources. The solution? Powdered nutrients mixed with water to produce a shake that is perfectly rationed, rational, fast.
Food waste video
- a lot of investment from vc
- a lot of media hype
- scientific claims and sleek designs, marketed as hardware or software rather than food, increase distance between humans and food even more


'''MEAL REPLACEMENTS AS SOLUTIONS TO OTHER PROBLEMS'''
Extreme temperatures will affect agriculture, imports and exports. If food distribution stopped coming into cities, those of us who live there would not last long.


MR come as a solution to a very specific range of problems, designed with a  very specific demographic in mind. While only marginally addressing the issues that have an impact on a larger scale, such as ‘a change in mindset in the wake of climate change disasters’ or food waste, the problems they mostly focus on are cooking, time management, nutritional intake and efficiency.


However, none of these problems are really addressed at any point, and they definitely don’t go to the root of the problem in any way. For instance, when addressing the issue of eating during work, instead of focusing on the fact that workers are pushed to constantly perform and keep their breaks at a minimum, the solution they suggest is consuming your meal at your desk, in liquid form.
Footages of ringis


The future may grim in many aspects, but it’s especially problematic when it comes to food. It’s not a coincidence that most dystopias imagine a very bleak diet for the majority of the world’s population.


    • Why is it appealing to people? - I tried it for a week - use footage I have
Maybe check biodiversity report of 04.05.19
PROBLEMS (2)


Why would this be appealing to anyone? These brands claim they help you get through the day with complete nutrition when you’re too busy in the morning to eat, or to take a lunch break at work. I tried to follow this diet for about a week, and see how I feel. And if you’re thinking: well, hold on, a week is not very long. Well, it was enough to push me over the edge, as I was hungry and unsatisfied all the time.
So what can we do to prevent this? How do we deal with problems in the western world? Who is in charge of defining what the problems are, and who do we turn to for solutions?


At first, I went for the classic version, as presented in their advertisements (huel guy). The classic vanilla flavour, shaken by hand, is not a good idea. If, like me, you expect the food you eat, even if in liquid form, to taste somewhat bearable, you need a lot more planning than it’s promised. As the days and meals rolled by, I started adding different combinations of fruit to the mix, in the hope of making taste better and be more filling. None of it really worked well.
People walking in the city
In the past few decades, we’ve learned to rely on technology to improve our daily life. And for good reason. But today, we’ve come to believe that technology can make anything better. (sarcastically)


    • What does it mean to feel full?
Shot of microwave, technology on the moon
    • Why is cooking not considered valuable time? some sort of transition to the gender issue


Some people claim that meal replacements gave them a better appreciation of food and cooking. That happens both through the sense of empowerment people get from reading the labels or creating their own concoctions with precise quantities of ingredients, as well as  through deprivation of tasty food for most of the day. Some people claim they appreciate cooking more, when they only do it rarely. I suppose that makes sense, especially for those who don’t really enjoy spending time cooking in the first place.  
And nowhere else is this belief more prominent than in Silicon Valley, the source of our computers,our  entertainment and apps that have infiltrated our lives.


This thought made me take a step back and have a look at the history of cooking, especially at the perceptions on cooking that we get through the way people are socialized differently depending on gender.
Evgeni Morozov on techno-solutionism
Cooking shows have had a great impact on how people perceive cooking. In the US, Julia Child has been very influential on her American audience, who was used to eating for convenience rather than for pleasure. Her advice went towards housewifes without any help in the kitchen, trying to make cooking seem less intimidating, something which I assume resonated with many middle class women in that time. However, her cheerful portrayal of what it means to be in the kitchen also opened up space for criticism. Notably, Martha Rosler’s piece - Semiotics of the Kitchen, comes as a parody to Julia’s cheerfulness, portraying cooking as a frustrating task, embodied in the tools which allow for useless and sometimes violent moves.
Close-up on Silicon valley map
His definition addresses the fact that, within this ideology, the focus is the constant chase for solutions, without much concern for the problems.


    • What is the post-mom economy and how do MR fit under this umbrella
    • Case in point, these people don’t want to cook, here’s what they came up with


Cooking takes time, and for some people spending time on this task is not worth it. Even in futurist depictions of instant food preparation, the woman, or the mom, is still the one doing the work. (the jetsons). Still, we haven’t really figured out how to make instant meals that resemble real food, but Silicon Valley is sure trying. With a majority of a young, male demographic, the products and services that come out of the tech world today is a result of the issues they are facing - how to take care of themselves now that they’ve moved out of their parents’ home, and they have a huge disposable income? This has led to what has been dubbed as the ‘post-mom economy’, with a large sector of the tech products and services moving towards solving daily chores that moms used to do. (shots of various services) Cooking and cleaning is the target of these products, as well as planning a balanced diet. Gone from under mom’s protective wing, it seems like these young adults have to time or interest to plan quick, healthy meals for themselves, and would rather lay that responsibility on the shoulders of a startup.


MEAL REPLACEMENTS (3)


When it comes to food, techno-solutionism is materialized in Meal replacements,which are powdered nutrients mixed together according to nutritional standards. This form of food is meant to revolutionize the way we eat, in a way that fits better with the way we live today. The supposed problem is that normal food is archaic, unsustainable, inefficient, and prone to make us waste time and resources. The solution? A complete meal in liquid form, that is perfectly rationed, rational and convenient.


    • Debunk claims (if I can?) and mock their branding shit
Shot of soylent bottles in factory, pouring soylent in a glass


But what do they claim to do?
Since the launch of Soylent in 2014 in the US, the first complete food on the market that was promoted this way, many others have appeared on the international scene. Soon, some of them started to get a lot of venture capital  investment, a lot of media hype, scientific claims and sleek designs. Some were even promoted in a way more similar to hardware or software rather than food, which only increased the  distance between humans and what we eat.


Replace meals with complete nutrition - unless you’re malnourished, there’s no actual need to get these quantities of nutrients for every meal. Also, the only thing getting you relatively full is the quantity. Drinking half a liter of anything with a thicker consistency is bound to make you full.
Shot of versions, interview about MR
Sustainable - Many meal replacement brands have in their portfolio ready to drink meals, which come in single use plastic bottles. Even if some, like Huel, started off with very minimal packaging and vowing to keep it that way, they soon realized that people were not buying their products often enough (an order comes with an obligatory 28 portion quantity), they soon went on to produce drinks in plastic bottles that only offer one portion, leading fans to question their values. (comments on instagram)


Also, taking a closer look at the origin of their various ingredients, it’s hard not to be suspicious of the places they’re buying bulk powders from, further increasing their carbon footprint and making it hard to trust them fully on their sustainability claims.


The range of problems SV is interested in fixing is a bit more focused on a specific demographic, with a specific lifestyle.
MEAL REPLACEMENTS AS SOLUTIONS TO OTHER PROBLEMS (4)


</div>
MR come as a solution to a very specific range of problems, designed for a very specific demographic. Their main focus is becoming a solution for time management, complete nutrition and efficiency. But issues that have an impact on a larger scale, and which sit at the core of their chosen areas of intervention, are hardly addressed. If the way we deal with food today is problematic, what about improving the food system to cope with climate change, world hunger, and food waste, or a better work/life balance?
Icons with solutions
 
On a closer look, they frame individual day-to-day habits as problems that only technology can solve.
 
 
Eating in car/office soylent
So what do meal replacements solve? What can they do for someone who cares about food, wants to find solutions, but more importantly, take a closer look at the problems?
 
SAVING TIME AND ENERGY - cooking and eating as problems
 
Perceptions on cooking have changed throughout history, and a large part of that is influenced by the way it’s portrayed in the media.
 
Vintage shot of food  - pressure cooker ad
Man cooking
 
Cooking shows have had a great impact on how people perceive cooking. Audiences used to eating for convenience rather than for pleasure learned to approach cooking as a less intimidating task, through food icons like Julia Child. But her cheerful image of a woman in the kitchen also opened up space for criticism, like Martha Rosler’s piece - Semiotics of the Kitchen, which comes as a parody to Julia’s show. She portrays cooking as a frustrating task, embodied in the tools which allow for useless and sometimes violent moves.
 
Julia & martha
 
 
Cooking takes time, and for some people spending time on this task is not worth it. But someone still has to do it. Even in futurist depictions of instant food preparation, the woman, or the mom, is still the one doing the work.
 
(the jetsons).
 
With a young, male demographic as a majority, the products and services provided by the tech world today are a result of the issues they are facing - living alone with a large disposable income. This has been dubbed as the ‘post-mom economy’, within which tech products and services replace daily chores that moms used to do. Gone from under mom’s protective wing and stuck into high stress jobs, some young adults don’t have the time or interest to plan quick, healthy meals for themselves, and are conditioned to lay that responsibility on the shoulders of a startup.
 
Post mom economy articles and tweets
 
And for some people, this is quite appealing. MR  brands claim they help you survive the day with their version of complete nutrition when you’re too busy to have breakfast, or to take a lunch break at work.
 
Shots of people drinking
 
But not having enough time to address the needs of your body is a problem that runs deeper than just time management. A life hack like meal replacements doesn’t seem to be the solution. Instead of addressing the fact that workers are pushed to constantly perform, outwork each other and keep their breaks at a minimum, consuming your meal at your desk, in liquid form, means embracing these circumstances.
 
What is food really about? What does it mean to feel full?
 
What is the purpose of this efficiency, the extra time gained while not eating, or cooking, or cleaning after yourself? How do you achieve work-life balance when life is consumed by work?
 
 
 
 
SAVING RESOURCES - money, food waste, sustainability
 
Some of the key selling points of meal replacements, sold in bulk, are the price per portion, the reduced food waste potential and the minimal impact on the planet.
 
Shots of those icons
 
A portion made from powder can start at 1 euro 50, but there’s hidden costs. Apart from the high price of enforced bulk purchasing, plus shipping, eating requires computer literacy, an internet connection, an optimal location for delivery, access to a bank account and a lot of time on your hands to go through all the research that comes with this lifestyle choice.
 
Shots of different reviews
 
Due to their extreme levels of processing, meal replacements have a very long shelf life, which is the second most common selling point - it hardly goes bad, so there’s no food waste. Unless you’re like me and you decide the food you ordered is not for you, after being forced to purchase the minimum amount of two bags, and end up not consuming most of it.
 
Factory shots
 
Even though some brands bragged about their minimal packaging, which, however unrecyclable, used to only be about a bag or two per month, they have since developed new lines of ready-to-drink products that come in single-use plastics. This packaging choice has not gone unnoticed, drawing a lot of criticism from consumers.
 
Instagram post about plastic
Instagram comments
 
Last but not least, meal replacement brands claim their products have a minimal impact on the environment, since they are mostly plant-based. However, they often do not reveal the sources of their ingredients, which are shipped from all around the world, heavily increasing their carbon footprint and raising suspicion over their sustainability claims.
 
Ingredient map
 
Even though the problems in this category are important and real, it is once again the case of a superficial attempt at fixing a problem. The solution, at times, is even ditched in favour of profit. Their solutions do nothing to address the systemic issues in the food industry, or food-related policies, but instead only reinforce the status-quo. While it is important to be aware of our individual impact on the planet, any choice we make pales in comparison to the massive damage the food industry is creating.
 
How much do I contribute to the well-being of our planet when I buy meal replacements off the internet?
 
 
 
 
SAVING HUMANS - BETTER SELF, BETTER FUTURE SELF
 
Donut soylent video
 
Placing the sole responsibility of my happiness and success on myself alone is a crucial part of the libertarian mindset that comes as a given in Silicon Valley. Becoming a better person means no more guilty meals, no more long lunch breaks and uninformed diet choices. It means no more falling into the trap of catering to the irrational needs of my body, but taking purely rational decisions. My body is a machine, and my mind is a computer. It’s up to me to fix them both.
 
Want to hack your body first 30 sec
 
My bad habits are a sign of weakness. My dissatisfaction with life and work is simply because I’m approaching the situation the wrong way.
 
My own videos
 
In the future, my body might not even matter anymore. The memories of my past meals will be long gone, drowned in a sea of powder. Why not start now?
 
Video of booklet
 
I don’t believe any of this. It’s not for me.
 
My sense of happiness is not detached from food, because my food is not just fuel. It’s a part of my identity that I share with those around me, that I love to explore and develop.
 
Food is heavily culturally charged, and that also applies to meal replacements.
 
And it’s the culture of individuality and techno-solutionism, with its extreme entrepreneurial pursuits and precarious lifestyles, the so-called disruption and innovation for its own sake that have led to the development of this product range, the perfect addition to the perfectly controlled life.
 
What do we actually gain as humans when we dehumanize our habits, and place the blame on individuals rather than the system? How do we fix the structural problems in the economy, and in the food industry, when our choices only reinforce the status quo? In an age of increasing distrust in power structures, how can we rely on private interest like Silicon Valley to care for us, feed us, and take us further into the future?

Latest revision as of 21:47, 12 May 2019

Main focus: look at the problems, not just the solutions

Takeaway: meal replacements are not appropriate solutions for the problems they claim to fix

Structure updated here.

Voiceover updated here.

Structure:

Intro (0)

Climate change problems in food (1)

Techno-solutionism for problems (2)

Meal replacements as techno-solutionist products (3)

What problems do they claim to solve? (4) 

 Saving time and energy - cooking and eating, post mom economy (4a)

   But the problems lies in startup culture (4aa)

 Saving resources - money, waste, sustainability (4b)

   But their products don’t address the systemic problems (4bb)
 
 Saving humans - better self, better future self, mind vs body (4c)

   But they place sole responsibility on the individual, robot brain (4cc)

Conclusion (5)

INTRO (0)


I spend most of my days 3m below sea level. I love food, and even though it’s nothing like back home, I still feel really lucky to always have access to foods from all over the world. Still, I can’t help but think about the end of this convenience that I take for granted.

Shots of tulips, buildings underwater, superimposed with supermarket rush


CLIMATE CHANGE (1)

Our economic system has led to a climate catastrophe for our planet. Food is a fragile resource. Every year, we use up resources faster than the earth can replenish them, and that date keeps moving up. On a worldwide scale, ⅓ of all food produced gets wasted.

Food waste video

Extreme temperatures will affect agriculture, imports and exports. If food distribution stopped coming into cities, those of us who live there would not last long.


Footages of ringis

The future may grim in many aspects, but it’s especially problematic when it comes to food. It’s not a coincidence that most dystopias imagine a very bleak diet for the majority of the world’s population.

Maybe check biodiversity report of 04.05.19

PROBLEMS (2)

So what can we do to prevent this? How do we deal with problems in the western world? Who is in charge of defining what the problems are, and who do we turn to for solutions?

People walking in the city

In the past few decades, we’ve learned to rely on technology to improve our daily life. And for good reason. But today, we’ve come to believe that technology can make anything better. (sarcastically)

Shot of microwave, technology on the moon

And nowhere else is this belief more prominent than in Silicon Valley, the source of our computers,our entertainment and apps that have infiltrated our lives.

Evgeni Morozov on techno-solutionism Close-up on Silicon valley map

His definition addresses the fact that, within this ideology, the focus is the constant chase for solutions, without much concern for the problems.



MEAL REPLACEMENTS (3)


When it comes to food, techno-solutionism is materialized in Meal replacements,which are powdered nutrients mixed together according to nutritional standards. This form of food is meant to revolutionize the way we eat, in a way that fits better with the way we live today. The supposed problem is that normal food is archaic, unsustainable, inefficient, and prone to make us waste time and resources. The solution? A complete meal in liquid form, that is perfectly rationed, rational and convenient.

Shot of soylent bottles in factory, pouring soylent in a glass

Since the launch of Soylent in 2014 in the US, the first complete food on the market that was promoted this way, many others have appeared on the international scene. Soon, some of them started to get a lot of venture capital investment, a lot of media hype, scientific claims and sleek designs. Some were even promoted in a way more similar to hardware or software rather than food, which only increased the distance between humans and what we eat.

Shot of versions, interview about MR


MEAL REPLACEMENTS AS SOLUTIONS TO OTHER PROBLEMS (4)


MR come as a solution to a very specific range of problems, designed for a very specific demographic. Their main focus is becoming a solution for time management, complete nutrition and efficiency. But issues that have an impact on a larger scale, and which sit at the core of their chosen areas of intervention, are hardly addressed. If the way we deal with food today is problematic, what about improving the food system to cope with climate change, world hunger, and food waste, or a better work/life balance? Icons with solutions

On a closer look, they frame individual day-to-day habits as problems that only technology can solve.


Eating in car/office soylent

So what do meal replacements solve? What can they do for someone who cares about food, wants to find solutions, but more importantly, take a closer look at the problems?

SAVING TIME AND ENERGY - cooking and eating as problems

Perceptions on cooking have changed throughout history, and a large part of that is influenced by the way it’s portrayed in the media.

Vintage shot of food - pressure cooker ad Man cooking

Cooking shows have had a great impact on how people perceive cooking. Audiences used to eating for convenience rather than for pleasure learned to approach cooking as a less intimidating task, through food icons like Julia Child. But her cheerful image of a woman in the kitchen also opened up space for criticism, like Martha Rosler’s piece - Semiotics of the Kitchen, which comes as a parody to Julia’s show. She portrays cooking as a frustrating task, embodied in the tools which allow for useless and sometimes violent moves.

Julia & martha


Cooking takes time, and for some people spending time on this task is not worth it. But someone still has to do it. Even in futurist depictions of instant food preparation, the woman, or the mom, is still the one doing the work.

(the jetsons).

With a young, male demographic as a majority, the products and services provided by the tech world today are a result of the issues they are facing - living alone with a large disposable income. This has been dubbed as the ‘post-mom economy’, within which tech products and services replace daily chores that moms used to do. Gone from under mom’s protective wing and stuck into high stress jobs, some young adults don’t have the time or interest to plan quick, healthy meals for themselves, and are conditioned to lay that responsibility on the shoulders of a startup.

Post mom economy articles and tweets

And for some people, this is quite appealing. MR brands claim they help you survive the day with their version of complete nutrition when you’re too busy to have breakfast, or to take a lunch break at work.

Shots of people drinking

But not having enough time to address the needs of your body is a problem that runs deeper than just time management. A life hack like meal replacements doesn’t seem to be the solution. Instead of addressing the fact that workers are pushed to constantly perform, outwork each other and keep their breaks at a minimum, consuming your meal at your desk, in liquid form, means embracing these circumstances.

What is food really about? What does it mean to feel full?

What is the purpose of this efficiency, the extra time gained while not eating, or cooking, or cleaning after yourself? How do you achieve work-life balance when life is consumed by work?



SAVING RESOURCES - money, food waste, sustainability

Some of the key selling points of meal replacements, sold in bulk, are the price per portion, the reduced food waste potential and the minimal impact on the planet.

Shots of those icons

A portion made from powder can start at 1 euro 50, but there’s hidden costs. Apart from the high price of enforced bulk purchasing, plus shipping, eating requires computer literacy, an internet connection, an optimal location for delivery, access to a bank account and a lot of time on your hands to go through all the research that comes with this lifestyle choice.

Shots of different reviews

Due to their extreme levels of processing, meal replacements have a very long shelf life, which is the second most common selling point - it hardly goes bad, so there’s no food waste. Unless you’re like me and you decide the food you ordered is not for you, after being forced to purchase the minimum amount of two bags, and end up not consuming most of it.

Factory shots

Even though some brands bragged about their minimal packaging, which, however unrecyclable, used to only be about a bag or two per month, they have since developed new lines of ready-to-drink products that come in single-use plastics. This packaging choice has not gone unnoticed, drawing a lot of criticism from consumers.

Instagram post about plastic Instagram comments

Last but not least, meal replacement brands claim their products have a minimal impact on the environment, since they are mostly plant-based. However, they often do not reveal the sources of their ingredients, which are shipped from all around the world, heavily increasing their carbon footprint and raising suspicion over their sustainability claims.

Ingredient map

Even though the problems in this category are important and real, it is once again the case of a superficial attempt at fixing a problem. The solution, at times, is even ditched in favour of profit. Their solutions do nothing to address the systemic issues in the food industry, or food-related policies, but instead only reinforce the status-quo. While it is important to be aware of our individual impact on the planet, any choice we make pales in comparison to the massive damage the food industry is creating.

How much do I contribute to the well-being of our planet when I buy meal replacements off the internet?



SAVING HUMANS - BETTER SELF, BETTER FUTURE SELF

Donut soylent video

Placing the sole responsibility of my happiness and success on myself alone is a crucial part of the libertarian mindset that comes as a given in Silicon Valley. Becoming a better person means no more guilty meals, no more long lunch breaks and uninformed diet choices. It means no more falling into the trap of catering to the irrational needs of my body, but taking purely rational decisions. My body is a machine, and my mind is a computer. It’s up to me to fix them both.

Want to hack your body first 30 sec

My bad habits are a sign of weakness. My dissatisfaction with life and work is simply because I’m approaching the situation the wrong way.

My own videos

In the future, my body might not even matter anymore. The memories of my past meals will be long gone, drowned in a sea of powder. Why not start now?

Video of booklet

I don’t believe any of this. It’s not for me.

My sense of happiness is not detached from food, because my food is not just fuel. It’s a part of my identity that I share with those around me, that I love to explore and develop.

Food is heavily culturally charged, and that also applies to meal replacements.

And it’s the culture of individuality and techno-solutionism, with its extreme entrepreneurial pursuits and precarious lifestyles, the so-called disruption and innovation for its own sake that have led to the development of this product range, the perfect addition to the perfectly controlled life.

What do we actually gain as humans when we dehumanize our habits, and place the blame on individuals rather than the system? How do we fix the structural problems in the economy, and in the food industry, when our choices only reinforce the status quo? In an age of increasing distrust in power structures, how can we rely on private interest like Silicon Valley to care for us, feed us, and take us further into the future?

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