Huel Lawsuit Alleges High-Protein ‘Complete Meal’ Powder Contains Dangerous Levels of Heavy Metals

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims that Huel Black Edition Powder, advertised as a “high-protein complete meal,” contains dangerous, undisclosed levels of the heavy metals lead and cadmium.

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The 31-page lawsuit claims that just one serving of the Huel protein powder contains “6.3 micrograms of lead,” about 1,290 percent more than the recommended daily limit. This is in addition to the 9.2 micrograms of cadmium allegedly found in the product, “more than double the level that health authorities […] say may be harmful to have daily,” the case says. 

“The Product is worth far less—or nothing at all—because it contains known neurotoxins,” the class action lawsuit charges.

According to the complaint, these levels were ascertained after the plaintiffs filed an independent “investigation of his counsel,” which was further confirmed by an October 2025 investigation conducted by Consumer Reports (CR) on the level of heavy metals in popular protein powders. The Black Edition Powder produced by Huel was one of only two protein supplements that CR recommends avoiding entirely, the filing notes.

According to the case, exposure to neurotoxins like lead and cadmium can cause irreversible damage, and several health agencies recognize the way the metals “impair[] cognitive development, reduce[] IQ, cause[] behavioral disorders and learning disabilities in children, and increase[] the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and long-term cardiovascular, renal, and neurological conditions in adults.”

Per the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, no amount of lead exposure is safe. Similarly, the agencies agree that there is also no real “known safe level of exposure to cadmium.”

Despite the well-documented dangers of heavy metals, Huel has not disclosed the heightened levels of lead and cadmium in its product, the suit claims. Moreover, the lawsuit contends that Huel should have been aware of the presence of the toxins due to robust industry standards in product testing and the company’s own emphasis on “periodically test[ing] products to identify heavy metal levels and to measure them against the recommended intake levels.”

The plaintiff is a California resident who had purchased the afflicted protein powder “dozens of times” and incurred damages as a result, as he would not have purchased the product if the heavy metal levels were disclosed, the complaint states.

Currently, there is no Huel recall in place, but Huel’s marketing director in the United Kingdom told the Daily Mail that the numerous reports against the company are “unnecessary scaremongering,” and that “Huel's Black Edition is completely safe and meets all UK and EU food safety standards.” Crucially, the United Kingdom and European Union have higher thresholds for daily lead exposure than counterpart agencies in the United States.

The Huel class action lawsuit looks to cover anyone in the United States who purchased the Black Edition Powder for personal and/or household use within the applicable statute of limitations period.

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