Huel advert starring Spencer Matthews is banned for suggesting its shakes could 'replace every meal'

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026 · last updated 1 October 2026.

The Advertising Standards Authority found that a podcast-format Instagram and YouTube advertisement for Huel promoted "irresponsible dietary habits" by suggesting its products could replace all conventional food on a nutritional basis. In the video, Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews told Huel founder Julian Hearn about a man who "only eats Huel" and won a 260km Amazon ultramarathon "by miles". Huel, whose parent company is French food giant Danone, and which counts Steven Bartlett among its backers, said the ad was intended to dispel the idea that customers use it for 100% of their diet. Four complaints prompted the ASA to issue the ban.

Matthews told Hearn the ultramarathon runner "doesn't eat any solid meals ever" and "left us all in the dirt" — the phrase the watchdog said glorified total meal replacement.

Huel argued Matthews expressed "extreme scepticism" in the anecdote and that Hearn actively spoke against using it as a complete food replacement.

The Instagram caption even read "here's how our founder uses Huel — spoiler alert, it's not for every meal", but the ASA banned it anyway.