Huel advert banned for 'irresponsible' meal replacement claims

An advert for Huel meal replacement shakes featuring former Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews has been banned by a watchdog.

The video included Matthews, who is a brand ambassador for the company, recalling how he met a person who "only eats Huel" and who won a 260km race "by miles".

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the ad "encouraged or condoned the complete replacement of conventional food with Huel, an irresponsible dietary practice".

The footage appeared as a sponsored Instagram post and YouTube pre-roll advert, and was shown in April and May this year.

It was in the style of a podcast where Mr Matthews was speaking to Huel founder Julian Hearn.

According to the ASA, the ad suggested that completely replacing conventional food with Huel was "nutritionally appropriate" and "presented no barrier to achieving a high level of physical performance".

The watchdog also ruled the advert "did not explicitly recommend that consumers replace all conventional food with Huel" but that consumers would understand from the ad that it was "an acceptable dietary practice".

Huel said the anecdote by ex-reality TV star Matthews was not a "recommendation or instruction to consumers" and the ad's purpose was to "correct any misconception" that consumers used Huel as "100% of their diet".

The Instagram post included the caption: "Here's how our founder uses Huel. Spoiler alert it's not for every meal."

What was said in the advert?

Mr Hearn said in the video that for breakfast and lunch he takes Huel products and then a "traditional meal" at home.

Matthews said in response that during a ultramarathon he was competing in, he met a man who "only eats Huel".

The TV celebrity said he was initially unsure the runner would be able to manage the race, but added that he "won it by miles, like literally just left us all in the dirt".

Mr Hearn then said in the footage: "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 for 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."

Four complaints

The ASA received four complaints about the advert, challenging whether it was irresponsible, and two of the complainants also challenged whether the health claims in the ad complied with the body's advertising code.

The ruling said: "The ads suggested that the complete replacement of conventional food with Huel was nutritionally appropriate and presented no barrier to achieving a high level of physical performance.

"We considered that message encouraged or condoned irresponsible dietary habits."

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The complaint about the health claims was also upheld by the ASA.

The watchdog ruled Matthews' anecdote about the ultramarathon athlete "implied a beneficial relationship between consuming Huel and the ability to sustain exceptionally high levels of physical and endurance performance".

It concluded: "The ads must not appear again in the form complained of."

Huel said in response to the complaints that Mr Hearn "unambiguously positioned Huel as part of a balanced diet for occasions when preparing whole food was not practicable".

Matthews reacted with "extreme scepticism and disbelief" to the notion of a person purely taking Huel, the company said.

"The anecdote was recounted as a remarkable and unexpected occurrence, not as a representative outcome or a recommendation or instruction to consumers to replicate. At no point in the ads did either speaker suggest that consumers should adopt a 100% Huel diet," it said.

Following the ASA ruling, Huel said it "respects the ASA process and decision and has complied with the ruling".

The company added: "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."

(c) Sky News 2026: Huel advert banned for 'irresponsible' meal replacement claims