Huel issues statement after study reveals protein powder contains 'high levels of lead'

Testing has found higher levels of lead in a Huel product and said that one product should not be consumed.

A report commissioned by the US non-profit watchdog Consumer Reports said it found high levels of the toxic heavy metal in the Black Edition protein powder.

It warned that the findings meant that the product was not safe for people to use.

The company has slammed the report as 'unnecessary scaremongering', and said that lead in its products is 'well within recognised safety limits'.

Huel, a portmanteau of 'Human Fuel', makes 'nutritionally complete' meals, meaning that in theory you could survive entirely on it.

The products, many of which are sold in powdered form, are also popular as protein supplements.

Huel Black Edition (Huel)

Tunde Akinleye is a food safety researcher with Consumer Reports, who led the product testing the levels of potentially dangerous chemicals in protein shakes, and said: “It’s concerning that these results are even worse than the last time we tested."

Akinleye added: “We advise against daily use for most protein powders, since many have high levels of heavy metals and none are necessary to hit your protein goals."

Huel has rejected the claims in the report.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the company's UK marketing director William Patterson said: "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."

Huel has also issued a statement on its website, saying: "While we respect efforts to investigate food safety, the comparison used in that report doesn’t reflect how trace minerals are evaluated by scientists or regulators."

Protein powders have seen a surge in popularity (Tetra Images/Getty)

It added: "Trace minerals such as lead occur naturally in crops because plants absorb them from the soil as they grow. This isn’t unique to Huel, it’s a normal part of how food is grown.

"For context, a typical meal of sausage, potatoes, and vegetables can contain around 5 micrograms (µg) of lead, and most adults naturally consume 20 to 80 µg per day through everyday foods. Huel is no different from everyday meals in this respect."

The report tested 23 'protein powders and ready-to-drink shakes' from several different manufacturers, and claimed that 'nearly all' of the products it tested had elevated lead levels, saying they 'found that heavy metal contamination has become even more common among protein products'.

Of those tested two products, Huel Black Edition and Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer, had levels which meant the report recommended not using them at all.

The tests showed that Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer had the highest levels with 7.7 micrograms of lead per serving, while Huel Black Edition had 6.3 micrograms.

The safe levels cited in the report are based on California's Proposition 65, which say that 0.5 micrograms per day is considered 'safe'.

LADbible Group has reached out to Huel and the Food Standards Agency for a comment.