Key facts
- Huel advert banned by UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
- Ad encouraged 'irresponsible' dietary practices, ASA ruled.
- Featured Spencer Matthews anecdote about ultramarathon runner who only ate Huel.
- ASA: ad implied Huel replacement compatible with elite performance.
- Four complaints received; two challenged health claims.
An advert for Huel meal replacement shakes has been banned by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for encouraging or condoning 'irresponsible' dietary practices. The ad featured Huel brand ambassador Spencer Matthews sharing an anecdote about a person he met who 'only eats Huel' and who won a 260km race 'by miles'.
The ASA stated that viewers could interpret the anecdote as suggesting that replacing all conventional food with Huel was nutritionally appropriate and compatible with elite physical performance. The watchdog upheld complaints that the advert implied a beneficial relationship between consuming Huel and sustaining exceptionally high levels of physical and endurance performance.
Huel, founded in 2015, argued that the anecdote was not a recommendation and the ad's purpose was to challenge the misconception that Huel could replace every meal. The company stated that the advert unambiguously positioned Huel as part of a balanced diet for occasions when preparing whole food was not practicable. The advert appeared as a sponsored Instagram post and YouTube pre-roll ad.
The market for so-called complete nutrition products is valued at $5.9 billion (£4.4 billion). The ASA received four complaints about the advert, with two challenging the health claims made.