As I say in this post, the difference is that Soylent isn't created by manipulating existing food but 'from scratch'. While it's not the first food to be created in a lab, it is definitely the most ambitious.

I don't see how that matters. There are already existing meal replacements used in the medical industry, albeit for niche cases (people being unable to eat). The nutritional value should be the same regardless of whether it's in a manufactured cereal or a manufactured shake.

but the perceived safety of a Pop-Tart is definitely higher.

I can't see how so. It's literally made in a similar fashion. Hell, you can make your own soylent by buying various products from the grocery store and blending them up yourself. naturally you'll need a few extra supplements and such that you have to buy separately (which is difficult to obtain in store-bought foods while keeping the right amount of other nutrients). Here is one such example, called "Peoplechow": https://diy.soylent.me/recipes/people-chow-301-tortilla-perfection I don't see how any of that stuff is a problem. It's weird, but in reality you are getting the same list of nutrients whether it be in a hamburger or just extracted from such a thing.

To put it bluntly, it's a bit scary because it's new.

It's not new though. The 'new' bit about it is that it's marketed towards regular people, and the nutrition balance is adjusted according to the average ideal diet, rather than the specialized needs of a patient.

I was thinking more about long-term dangers of mixing a really diverse set of nutrients and vitamins.

You mean the mixture of exactly the recommended nutrients and vitamins that you eat in food anyway? You do realize that a hamburger doesn't stay as a hamburger in your stomach, right? Likewise, AFAIK, all of soylent's (official product) ingredients come from regular sources that provide food elsewhere.

that which makes Soylent unique and healthy (its all-encompassing set of ingredients) is also the thing I am cautious about with my limited knowledge of chemistry and food safety.

It can't be less healthy than donuts for dinner and coco-puffs for breakfast. And on top of that, many people (the developer included) have been living off the stuff for over a year now (the developer for even longer). And initial clinical results show that it's a healthier diet than what they were eating before (which have mostly been computer techies, so stuff like pizza, ramen, etc).

Either way, it can't be any less healthy than other manufactured food products, which people live off of despite not even reaching close to the amount of recommended nutrients.

So really, your only complaint is "it's made in a lab!" which isn't exactly true either. All of the ingredients are sourced from various legitimate plant/animal products (though I think animal sources are now out, after they replaced fish oil). So... all plant products. And IIRC the large bulk of it is literally wheat products. With many people describing the taste as "soggy cheerios" and similar flavors.

I understand your concern, but it's fairly obvious that it's safe, and assuredly better than most people's diets. There were kinks in the beginning (problems with various deficiencies, flatulence, etc). And naturally some people have various dietary needs that aren't covered by soylent. But given the current state of things, it's hard to see any problems with it besides "it's scary because it's new!" It's an irrational fear, from what I can see.

If you seriously think that living off twinkies, coca-cola, and ramen is better than soylent, there's something wrong with your picture of nutrition.