ZOE’s new supplement, and the politics of food

It’s the worried well vs the nanny state

Last night I went to the launch of Daily30+, a new supplement from ZOE, the personalised nutrition behemoth that inspires as many haters as ardent devotees. 

This launch has been a bit controversial, because ZOE founder Professor Tim Spector is famously anti-supplements. He has said that the vast majority are a waste of money and yet, here he is, launching a supplement. 

Well… it’s not a traditional supplement. It’s a mix of dried and chopped nuts, seeds, herbs and spices, as well as flaked beetroot, carrot and lentils, and powdered mushrooms. The USP is that it contains over 30 different plant foods, and the idea is that it will help people who struggle to make healthy food tasty, because you can sprinkle it over everything from your avocado toast to your pasta and it’ll add crunch and flavour, as well as a hit of fibre and polyphenols. 

Lots of the online criticism (from experts I respect; not just mad people on the internet) focuses on the price. At £39 for a month’s supply, it’s cert…