The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an Instagram video and a YouTube pre-roll ad for Huel, ruling on 30 September 2026 that they were irresponsible and carried health claims not authorised in Great Britain. The ads, seen in April and May 2026, showed Huel founder Julian Hearn and TV personality Spencer Matthews talking in the style of a podcast. Matthews described a competitor in a 260km race through the Amazon rainforest who "only eats Huel", and said "He won it by miles". Four complainants challenged the ads. The regulator found the anecdote presented exclusive consumption of Huel "in a particularly positive context", and concluded consumers would understand from the ads that living on Huel alone "was nevertheless an acceptable dietary practice". It also ruled the statement that Huel "gives you everything that you do need" was a general health claim with no authorised specific claim alongside it. The ads breached CAP Code rules 1.3, 15.1, 15.1.1 and 15.2.
Why an anecdote counted as a health claim
The CAP Code treats any statement implying a relationship between a food and health as a health claim, and only claims listed on the Great Britain nutrition and health claims register may be used in advertising. Huel argued the story contained no causal language and that Matthews had recounted it with scepticism rather than as an endorsement. The ASA disagreed, saying it "implied a beneficial relationship between consuming Huel and the ability to sustain exceptionally high levels of physical and endurance performance", and that it had seen no evidence the claim was on the register. Huel told the ASA an oversight left out wording explaining what nutritionally complete covered, and that it is arranging compliance training for its marketing team.
What this means in practice
The rules the ASA applied to Huel are the same ones that govern food supplements sold in the UK. A health claim has to sit on the GB register, in the authorised wording, before it can be used in marketing. Northern Ireland continues to follow the EU register, so the two lists can diverge. The ASA record for the company lists four earlier upheld rulings, in 2022, 2023 and twice in 2024. A presenter's anecdote in an ad carries the same regulatory weight as a claim printed on a label, and the ASA will assess it that way. Huel was told the ads must not appear again in the form complained of.
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