Huel is a meal replacement product, which is available in the form of powders, protein shakes, protein bars, grains and pastas. Huel markets its products as being quick, affordable, and nutritionally complete. At first glance, this makes Huel sound like a health food. However, a quick glance at the extensive ingredient lists suggests that this potentially is not the case. Is Huel UPF?
Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett – a notable investor in Huel, and a member of the Huel board of directors. Not to be confused with James McMaster, the CEO of Huel.
What does Open Food Facts say?
Open Food Facts is a free online database, where details of products sold in over 150 countries have been uploaded through crowdsourcing. I find Open Food Facts to be a really good resource for checking which group in the Nova Classification system a product falls into as well as a product’s Eco-Score.
Open Food Facts has listed Huel drinks including Huel Chocolate, Huel Vanilla, and Huel Banana flavours (all 500ml) as Nova Classification group 4. Moreover, Huel powders including Huel Black edition Vanilla, and Huel Black Edition Salted Caramel are also listed as Nova Classification group 4. Finally, pasta Huel Mac & Cheese is also listed as Nova group 4. Foods and drinks in group 4 are classified as UPF. Therefore, Open Food Facts is very clear that Huel should be described as Ultra-Processed Food.
Does Huel Have More Than 5 Ingredients?
Another good method of identifying Ultra-Processed Food is to count the number of ingredients on the label. It’s quick and easy, and avoids the quagmire of identifying whether an unfamiliar ingredient is a legitimate culinary ingredient, or something much more artificial. Any food with more than five ingredients is likely to be UPF. This strategy was suggested in a commentary piece in BMJ Global Health, which is referenced in the book Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken.
According to Tesco, Huel Ready to Drink Berry 500ml has the following ingredients:
- Water, Pea Protein, Tapioca Flour, Gluten-Free Oat Flour, Rapeseed Oil, Ground Flaxseed, Medium-Chain Triglyceride Powder (from Coconut), Chicory Root Fibre, Micronutrient Blend*, Beetroot and Carrot Extract, Natural Flavourings, Emulsifier: Sunflower Lecithin, Thickener: Gellan Gum, Sweetener: Sucralose, Flavouring, *Micronutrient Blend: Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (as L-Ascorbic Acid), Magnesium Phosphate, L-Choline Bitartrate, Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Niacin (as Niacinamide), Vitamin K2 (as Menaquinone-7), Vitamin A (as Retinyl Acetate), Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol), Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium D-Pantothenate), Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin), D-Biotin, Selenium Yeast, Copper Gluconate, Zinc Oxide, Calcium-L-Methylfolate, Chromium Picolinate.
With a grand total of 38 ingredients, this product is well over the threshold of no more than 5 ingredients. Therefore, by this measure, Huel is UPF.
What does the Nova Classification system say?
The Nova Classification system places foods into one of four different groups based on their processing.
- Foods in group 1 are unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as vegetables, fruits, and meats.
- Foods in group 2 are culinary ingredients, which are usually the products of foods from group 1. Examples include salt, table sugar, and spices.
- Foods in group 3 are processed foods, and are made up of a combination of group 1 and group 2 items. This includes foods like bread, cheese, and pasta.
- Finally, group 4 is made up of foods that are Ultra-Processed Foods. These foods contain industrialized ingredients, which would not normally be found in a typical kitchen. Examples include soft drinks, cookies, and crisps/potato chips.
If we try to apply these criteria ourselves, without looking towards an external source like Open Food Facts, we can be confident that Huel belongs in group 4, and is therefore an Ultra-Processed Food.
You can read more about the Nova Classification system in this article.
What does Huel say?
On the UK Huel website, the company has published an article written by Jessica Stansfield, Junior nutrition manager at Huel. This article, titled “Nutrition in the News: Are Ultra-Processed Foods Actually Bad for You?” examines Ultra-Processed Foods and where Huel fits in. While the article stops short of labelling Huel as UPF, it does state
“Huel contains multiple ingredients, some of which have gone through certain processes, which is why people may choose to classify them as ‘processed food’.”
My interpretation of this statement is that the company considers its products to be UPF, however the company does not feel comfortable using this label. I find it interesting that this article casts doubt on the Nova Classification system and questions the dangers of Ultra-Processed Food.
Is Huel UPF?
In summary, based on the perspectives above, I feel confident in my opinion that Huel is UPF. However, I have not seen any literature that examines the health benefits or risks of consuming Huel. While I feel that Huel is UPF, I suspect that it is more healthy and more desirable from a health perspective, compared to more traditional convenience Ultra-Processed Foods like french fries, crisps/potato chips, and cookies. Despite the dystopian nature of the product, I expect its popularity to continue to increase.