SOCIAL
Huel ads banned over money-saving claims
Nutrition company Huel has had two adverts banned for making ‘misleading’ money-saving claims about its meal replacement products.
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) took the action after considering the impact they might have amid the cost of living crisis.
With millions skipping meals and finding it harder to eat healthily compared to before the crisis, households across the country are keen to make savings on food.
Here, Which? explains why Huel’s online ads have been taken down and offers tips for maintaining a healthy diet on a stretched budget.
What claims did Huel make?
Complaints were made to the ASA about paid-for Facebook ads, which appeared on 29 August 2022 and 6 September 2022.
The advert stated: ‘Huel helps keep money in your pockets. An entire month’s worth of Huel works out at less than £50.’
The ASA also examined a page on Huel’s website titled ‘Five ways to save money on food’, which encouraged people to ‘embrace processed food and meal replacements’ and said: ‘Huel is another great example of processed food being able to help you save money on food.’
How the ASA investigated
The watchdog considered how people would view both the ads in the context of the cost of living crisis.
It said those who viewed the Facebook ad ‘would likely compare the cost of a month’s supply of Huel, eaten for every meal, to the cost of a month’s supply of “traditional” meals’.
The ASA’s investigation found Huel did not make it clear that that the cost saving element of the ads was only based on consuming one Huel product a day, and was not the equivalent to a month’s worth of food covering all meals.
When it came to the page titled ‘Five ways to save money on food’ the ASA believed the claims would be interpeted by consumers to mean that Huel products provided all the nutritional benefits of the types of processed foods referenced and could be eaten instead of ‘tradiotnal meals’.
The ASA noted to get the recommended amount of calories for a day, an average woman would have to eat five Huel portions That would cost about £350 a month, while an average man would need to eat more.
As Huel did not provide evidence that this would be a saving compared to a month’s worth of ‘traditional’ meals, the regulator concluded that the money-saving claim made in the ads were ‘misleading.’
The ASA also deemed the ads ‘irresponsible’ as they did not make clear that a ‘traditional’ diet of three meals a day could not be replaced with three portions of Huel a day.
What action has been taken?
The ASA has banned the ads and ruled that they must not appear again in the form complained about.
It also told Huel to ensure its ads do not state or imply eating Huel for all meals instead of a ‘traditional’ diet was cheaper, unless it could substantiate the claim.
The regulator also said Huel’s adverts must not imply three portions of Huel per day contained sufficient calories for people, and warned the company not to make general health claims unless they were accompanied by a specific authorised claim.
How did Huel respond?
A Huel spokesperson told Which?: ‘we take our responsibilities under the [non-broadcast advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing] code seriously, and when brought to our attention, we pulled the ads and removed the article from our website.
‘Since day one, Huel’s mission has been to make nutritionally complete, convenient and affordable food and we will continue to do so.’
How to save money on food and eat healthily
Your diet, including how much you eat, is a vital part of staying well.
If you’re struggling with the cost of food, we’ve set out some tips and advice on how to save and where to get help to eat healthily.
Reduce food waste
The average UK family wastes around £700 of food every year, according to the government-backed Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
So cutting back on your household food waste might help you save money on your food bills
To do this, it’s important to use your instincts when it comes to products’ best-before dates, and only throw items away when they look or smell bad.
In addition, going for loose, uncut fruit and veg should help reduce food waste as you’re more likely to buy the quantity you actually need, and you won’t have a best-before date to tempt you to dispose of it when it’s still edible.
- Find out more: how to reduce your food waste at home
Batch cook
Cooking as many meals as possible in one go, and freezing any leftovers, means you only have to buy your ingredients once (providing you can buy in bulk), cook once and use your cooking facilities once.
You could also consider adding additional vegetables into dishes you’re cooking to help you from a health perspective and to help keep you full.
- Find out more: how to spend less at the supermarket
Avoid convenience stores
Which? research has found regularly shopping at local supermarket convenience stores could be costing you hundreds more each year.
So it’s worth making the effort to go to a big Tesco or Sainsbury’s over a Tesco Express or Sainsbury’s Local in order to save.
- Find out more: the cost of convenience
Check if you’re eligible for the Healthy Start scheme
If your more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four you could get help to buy healthy food and milk with the Healthy Start scheme.
If eligible you will get a card with money loaded on it that you can use at certain shops. The card can be used to buy milk, vegetables, pulses and infant formula. Currently, Sainsbuy’s is topping up the government-funded NHS Healthy Start scheme by £2.
In Scotland you may be able to get help under the Best Start Foods scheme.
See if you can use a food bank
Trussell Trust is the UK’s largest food bank organisation, with more than 1,200 food banks across the country. You can find your local food bank on its website.
You’ll need to be referred to a food bank, either through Jobcentre Plus, a social worker, Citizens Advice, a medical professional or your local authority. If you aren’t in touch with any of these organisations, you can still contact the food bank directly to ask for help.
Which?’s Affordable Food For All campaign
Which? has launched an Affordable Food For All campaign after it found millions of people across the UK are struggling to access affordable food.
We’re calling on supermarkets to commit to clear pricing, better access to budget ranges that enable healthy choices and more offers for those who need them most.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login