Rob Reinhart's1 (WOT:nonperson) food replacement start up Soylent is suffering in the wake of a severe product purity scandal. Early efforts at damage control involved Soylent blaming the soy content of their products and alleging the violently ill customers must have had some sort of previously undetected soy sensitivity.
The culprit was "algal flour" derived from Chlorella protothecoides grown in fermenters. The algae was chosen for its high protein content and while it is classified by US regulators as a "Generally Recognized As Safe" substance it's use as a source of dietary protein is not well tested. Digestive intolerance of unfamiliar plant proteins is not an uncommon class of phenomena, though contamination of the product is also a possibility.
This is bullish for soy's continued reign as the cheapest complete protein of vegetable origin suitable for keeping the general population fed. Soy for your loss.
Otherwise notable for the nuisance complaints filed by his neighbors related to his habit of hoarding piles of trash which attract vermin. ↩