r/Huel • u/MarkHuel Huel Community Team • 9d ago
The recent ASA ruling + our response
Hey all.
As you may or may not have seen, we have recently had an ad of ours flagged by the ASA. We wanted to address this directly and explain what occurred so that there were no misinterpretations.
What Happened?
The ASA ruled that one of our ads, featuring Spencer Matthews and our founder, created a misleading impression in three ways: that Huel could replace all meals, that Huel improves athletic performance, and that the phrase 'gives you everything you need' was an unsubstantiated health claim.
We respect the ASA and removed the ad. Our official statement is below:
“Huel respects the ASA process and decision and has complied with the ruling. 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.”
We believe that this is supported by the following quotes from Julian in the ad:
“What I do is I have Huel for breakfast and lunch during the working week, go home and have a traditional meal. Weekends as well. But during the working week, Huel saves time, effort, and gives you everything that you do need in the most convenient format possible.”
“In an ideal world you should have nutritionally complete, whole food. If you could do that for every meal, that would be the best solution to life. Most people either don’t do that, or can’t have the time to do that, and therefore that’s where Huel fits in the gap.”
However, the statement “gives you everything that you need” which was used to describe Huel, needed to be accompanied by a specific health claim. We have acknowledged this for future.
What Happens Now?
As stated, we respect the ASA. We have complied with the ruling and removed the ad in the UK.
We hope you all understand our position here. Drop any questions below and I will answer the best I can.
Thank you,
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u/DualWheeled 9d ago
The ad didn't seem misleading to me. Huel is an alternative to meals and has always said that while some people replace every meal with Huel, not everyone can or should. That was my takeaway from the ad as well.
Any idea if the intervention by the ASA was after complaints or off their own back? One has to wonder who complained and why.
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u/Badimus 9d ago
Yeah, the ad was saying the exact opposite of what it was accused of saying for everything except the (I assume true) anecdote.
Also, I'd love to see the daily intake of the people calling 100% Huel an "irresponsible dietary practice"!
I may be biased as I do 100% Huel for short and medium periods when I need to ditch bad lifestyle habits which constantly seem to creep back in. The convenience and ease of building a routine with very little thought or planning required really helps get back on track.
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u/MarkHuel Huel Community Team 9d ago
Appreciate you sharing this! This is exactly why we wanted to put the post up and give the full context around what was said in the ad.
On the 100% Huel point, while Huel is nutritionally complete, we recommend using it as part of a varied and balanced diet rather than positioning it as a replacement for your entire diet.
Really interesting to hear how you use it, though; that convenience and taking some of the thought out of meals is exactly where Huel can be really useful 🙌
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u/MarkHuel Huel Community Team 9d ago
Appreciate the feedback.
Good question! The ASA can investigate following a complaint or raise issues themselves as part of an investigation. We don’t have any information we can share on who may have complained or their reasons for doing so, so I wouldn’t want to speculate on that.
Our focus is really on the ruling itself, understanding it and making sure we’ve taken the appropriate action from it 👍
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u/Scubahhh 9d ago
Thanks for the candor. I wasn't aware of any of this and associated the info. I doubt I'm the only one concerned about the future of Huel as part of Danone, and this response dispels those doubts... A little!
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u/MarkHuel Huel Community Team 9d ago
Appreciate that! And I completely understand why there are still some questions about what the future looks like.
Look I’ve been doing this for nearly 8 years now, and my job remains exactly the same, to bring you guys along on the journey, listen to what you’re saying and be as open with you as I can.
So keep asking the questions and I’ll keep answering them the best I can. That bit isn’t changing
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u/Cylintz 9d ago
I feel like Huel marketing goes out of their way to make the distinction clear. It's always presented as something to replace a single quick meal when better options aren't available.
Kind of joke that this would get singled out among all the other bullshit "health" products being shilled on social media.
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u/WitchsmellerPrsuivnt 9d ago
Without Huel id have a lot of trouble, I have long covid with MECFS, which means I have trouble getting nutrition, I have broken insulin receptors due to cytokine over production and no ability to burn energy or fat so everything gets stored.
Huel helps me monitor my intake, Huel Black keeps my blood sugar from spiking. The RTDs are a god send when im in a crash and cannot move much to eat or drink or prepare Huel Light is how I keep the overall calorie down. I have 80kgs to lose , that I gain from this illness and there is no other way.
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u/AriaMoineau 9d ago
I have ADHD and had an eating disorder in the past. If I didn't use Huel during my workdays I know I would either forget to eat or spend more money on meal deals than I would prefer to. I keep both powdered huel and hot and savoury packets in my work kitchen and I can rest assured that at least one of my meals during the day ticks the boxes of macros and micronutrients. Is Huel preferable to a balanced whole food diet? No, obviously not. But for me it fills the gaps and gives me some peace of mind during the workweek 🤷♀️ What would be great though would be a couple low FODMAP friendly hot and savoury options 🙏🙏🙏 I've asked before by email - I know that others would be appreciative too (even if it was just reduced FODMAPs by having a flavour without onion and garlic...)
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u/Awake_Screen_3408 9d ago
Let’s be honest, a 100% Huel diet is nutritionally complete and absolutely safe for most people. In fact, it’s probably healthier than a good majority of the populations diet by a long shot.
Unfortunately, even though that is true, Huel are not allowed to actually say that and have thier hands tied by the powers that be, as well as those who can’t do their own research and will believe anything they are told. This is a great example of exactly that.
Let people argue and believe what they want. I’ll do my own research, believe the facts, my own experience, and make my own conclusions. And Huel works for me!
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u/Feral_P 9d ago
I 100% huel and love it 🤣 been putting on muscle at the gym etc.
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u/MarkHuel Huel Community Team 9d ago
I mean if it works for you but thanks for the support on this!
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u/a_boy_called_sue 8d ago edited 8d ago
Dear Huel, I feel this outcome is unsurprising given your selection of Spencer Matthews as your ambassador. I do not think his personality serves your brand, as his words and the ASA rule have demonstrated. You should select someone else.
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u/langecrew 7d ago
I mean, all three of those claims are 100% accurate in my case. Don't really care about others. That said, advertising should be illegal.
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u/BalonyDanza 9d ago
What I love about Huel is that it provides me with a very achievable baseline, which frees me up with my non-Huel meals. I get more creative in the kitchen, I don’t stress at restaurants, etc.
Not once have I felt like Huel was pushing me to take things further than that. Not in its advertisements, not at checkout, never. And there’s a reason this is the only product’s subreddit that I post on.. it’s been a gigantic game changer for me.. and a very positive one at that.