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Why did the ASA step in?

A Huel ad in the UK was taken down following a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The regulator said the ad created the impression that all traditional meals could be replaced with Huel products and that doing so would be nutritionally appropriate.

The content ran as a sponsored Instagram post and as a pre-roll video on YouTube. In the video, brand ambassador Spencer Matthews and company founder Julian Hearn spoke in a podcast-style format, with Hearn saying he used Huel for breakfast and lunch during the week and ate a traditional dinner in the evening.

What did the panel conclude?

The controversy at the center of the ad began when Matthews described meeting someone at an ultramarathon who said he consumed only Huel and still won the 260-kilometer race by a wide margin. The ASA accepted that the ad did not directly recommend replacing every meal with Huel, but said viewers could still interpret the message as an acceptable way of eating.

  • The regulator concluded that the ad gave the impression Huel could fully replace conventional food.
  • It also ruled that the content implied a beneficial link between product consumption and extraordinary physical endurance.

Company defense and complaint process

Huel said the purpose of the ad was to position its products as part of a balanced diet. According to the company, Matthews’ example was not consumer advice but the telling of an unusual and unexpected story.

The ASA received four complaints about the ad. Two of those complaints also questioned whether the health claims in the content breached advertising rules. The company later said it complied with the decision and does not present its products as either a complete diet replacement or a solution for improving athletic performance.

Market size and acquisition background

The Hertfordshire-based company was founded by Julian Hearn in 2015. The “complete nutrition” market, which Huel serves with products aimed at time-poor and health-conscious consumers, is estimated to be worth $5.9 billion (£4.4 billion).

The decision came while Huel remains in the process of being acquired by French food group Danone. The regulatory intervention pointed to tighter scrutiny of health and performance messaging in the meal-replacement sector.

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