British advertising regulators have banned a promotional campaign for Huel meal replacement shakes. They determined that the material encouraged irresponsible dietary habits. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that a social media video improperly suggested the products could fully substitute conventional food without hindering elite physical performance.
The controversy stems from a sponsored Instagram post and YouTube pre-roll ad featuring brand ambassador Spencer Matthews conversing with Huel founder Julian Hearn in a podcast format. During the video, Matthews recounted an anecdote about an ultramarathon competitor who relied exclusively on the meal replacement shake during a demanding race.
Details of the Banned Huel Advertising Campaign
The ASA received four complaints regarding the digital video advertisement, which ran across Instagram and YouTube in April and May. The promotional content featured a conversation between television personality Spencer Matthews and Huel founder Julian Hearn.
During the exchange, Matthews remarked that he met a participant during the Amazon Ultra race who consumed nothing other than Huel. Matthews stated: “He won it by miles, like literally just left us all in the dirt.”
While the Instagram caption included the disclaimer “Spoiler alert it’s not for every meal,” and Hearn noted that he typically consumes traditional meals outside of working hours, the regulatory watchdog concluded that the overall framing of the video undermined these caveats.
ASA Ruling Findings on Social Responsibility
The advertising watchdog upheld complaints stating that the ad implied Huel products could completely replace all conventional food. According to the ASA ruling, the anecdote presented the individual’s exclusive consumption of Huel in an exceptionally positive context.
Rather than treating the 100% Huel diet as a cautionary or isolated occurrence, the conclusion of the story attributed exceptional sporting performance to an individual consuming no conventional food. The watchdog noted that Huel products provide up to 400 calories per serving. An individual relying entirely on the shakes would need multiple servings daily to meet energy requirements-a detail the advertisement failed to make clear.
The ASA concluded that by presenting exclusive consumption in this manner, the ads suggested that complete replacement of conventional food was nutritionally appropriate and compatible with high-level physical performance. This breached CAP Code Edition 12 rule 1.3 regarding social responsibility.
Unauthorised Health Claims and Product Composition
In addition to social responsibility concerns, regulators upheld complaints regarding health claims made within the video.
- Athletic Performance Claim: The anecdote about winning the ultramarathon implied a beneficial relationship between consuming Huel and sustaining exceptionally high levels of physical and endurance performance. This is an unauthorised health claim on the GB Nutrition and Health Claim (NHC) Register.
- General Health Claim: The statement that Huel “gives you everything that you do need” functioned as a general health claim. It referred to the overall beneficial effect of the food supplement, but it was not accompanied by a specific authorised health claim as required by regulations.
Huel defended the phrasing as a product composition statement explaining that the drink was formulated to contain a full range of required nutrients. The company admitted that explanatory wording regarding protein, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins was omitted due to an oversight.
Huel’s Response and Compliance
Following the ruling, Huel confirmed it has complied with the ASA decision and pulled the advertisement. This enforcement marks the fifth time the brand has faced adverse ASA rulings over recent years.
A spokesperson for Huel stated: “The ad was intended to challenge the misconception that Huel should replace every meal, and we believe that is how most people understood it. We do not position Huel as a complete diet replacement or claim that it improves athletic performance. Huel is for those inconvenient meals when a whole food option isn’t on the table, as part of a varied and balanced diet.”
The company also announced that it is arranging mandatory compliance training for its marketing team and strengthening internal approval processes to ensure mandatory disclaimers and compliant phrasing are consistently applied in future campaigns.
