Huel bosses issue statement after damning report found ‘high levels of lead’ in their meal replacement protein powder

Huel bosses have spoken out amid claims its protein powder contains unsafe levels of lead—potentially putting consumers’ health at serious risk. 

The report by US-based non-profit watchdog Consumer Reports Study said that Huel’s Black Edition protein powder had high levels of lead content, and should not be consumed at all. 

Huel—a portmanteau of human and fuel—is a nutritionally complete meal replacement powder which is marketed as containing all the essential macronutrients, vitamins and minerals which people need in a single serving. 

But speaking to the Daily Mail, William Patterson, Marketing Director at Huel UK, has described the report as creating ‘unnecessary scaremongering’ as the researchers have used an ‘ultra conservative threshold’ for lead. 

Of 23 protein powders tested, Consumer Reports found more than two thirds contained more lead in a single serving than it regards safe for daily consumption, citing its own safety standards. 

The consumer watchdog recommends that people consume no more than 0.5mg of lead a day, while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there is no known safe level of lead exposure. 

According to the report, Huel’s Black Edition contained more than 6mg of lead per serving.

However Patterson says the company are ‘extremely frustrated’ by these findings, stating that ‘Huel’s Black Edition is completely safe and meets all UK and EU food safety standards’. 

The official UK guidance currently states that people should not consume any more than 135mg per day—270 times higher than California’s Proposition 65, which the report was based on. 

The EU benchmark is even higher, at no more than 270mg of lead a day. 

The Black Edition is sold in both the UK and the US, and contains more protein and fewer carbohydrates for those seeking to up their protein intake to around 40g per meal. 

And while their recipes are not identical, Huel confirmed that they are very similar.  

Patterson added: ‘The UK and the US recipes are extremely similar and testing shows that lead levels are also almost identical. 

‘Both are very low and well within recognised safety limits. We test our products regularly though accredited independent laboratories, and the results consistently confirm this

‘It is important to understand that the Consumer Reports approach reflects a uniquely cautious regulation rather than an internationally accepted measure of consumer safety.’ 

Whilst Pieter Cohen, from Harvard Medical School, commented that the report serves as a reminder that there are ‘bigger problems’ in the food supplement industry with heavy metals getting into these products, Patterson said Huel is ‘no different from everyday meals in this respect’. 

‘Trace minerals such as lead occur naturally in crops because plants absorb them from the soil. 

‘For context, a meal of sausages, potatoes, cabbage and carrots can contain around 5 micrograms of lead, and most adults consume between 20 and 80 micrograms per day from normal foods,’ he explained. 

 Earlier this year, researchers claimed that the lifelong impacts of exposure to lead is a ‘hidden’ problem in the UK.

Poisoning from lead occurs when the toxic metal builds up in the brain. Youngsters are significantly more at risk because their bodies and brains are still growing.

At high levels, lead poisoning can cause iron deficiency, damage to internal organs, and seizures. 

Global studies show that lead levels in the blood have decreased since it was removed from petrol in 1999.