[Karunamon]

I wouldn't be too worried - but the stuff is a godsend if you are running your tail off every now and then and need something cheap and easy to keep your energy up.

I think that's Soylent's niche. Imagine those days when you're too (busy/lazy/unskilled/low on cash) to cook or get takeout, so now you've got this alternative that's probably better for you than the stuff you would have gotten anyways.

[Animats]

Japan already has this. There's CalorieMate Block, a "nutritionally balanced source of the energy needed for daily activities".[1] Humanoid chow, basically. It's popular with salarymen who eat lunch at their desks.

CalorieMate is manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company. No hype, no cool branding. The very plain box just has a list of ingredients. Available in convenience stores and vending machines. It's kind of blah, but it's not bad.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Calorie-Mate-Balanced-Chocolate-Ounce/...

[quadrature]

sounds a bit like http://www.amazon.com/Ensure-Complete-Balanced-Nutrition-Str...