I have been using Huel for a while and have noticed in the latest batch I bought I am getting red blood-like streaks when mixing it with water, and also taste is a little different to before (not as nice).
I am really hoping this is some kind of seed and not a contaminated batch. I am vegeterian so the thought I might be drinking something with blood in it or something that just looks like blood is really off putting.
I took a picture but this forum does not seem to have an option to post pictures.
Its not blood. It is one of the new ingredients, Lycopene.
https://huel.com/pages/huel-version-2-0-the-principal-changes
There is a potentially dangerous increase to the amount of salt in v2.0 though which might explain the difference in taste (it was too salty for me to be able to drink it). There is also the inclusion of flouride which is quite controversial since it is not clear it has any dietary benefit (usually requires topical contact with teeth to provide benefit hence inclusion in toothpaste and mouthwashes but not normally in any multivitamin).
Many people have stopped using Huel v2.0 and are waiting for a modified version - they have said they will reduce the salt content, hopefully to a level that is both safe and palatable, but have given no definitive statement on the flouride.
Thanks. Why the hell do companies insist on changing the ingredients in their products and then say they are improved? Very rarely are they actually improved and there are many products which I have stopped eating as a result in changes in their ingredients. Hopefully the new version will also remove the Lycopene as it just looks far too much like blood to me. It might have benefits but to me the visual appearance of what I am drinking or eating outweighs these. Big mistake.
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Hi there Steve-I started on Huel a few weeks ago & am getting on fine with it-I only have ever had version 2.0 so have no comparison.
One of the things that I feel reassured by is that Huel is vegan-I am vegan & wouldn’t even entertain the idea of drinking anything with even dairy let alone animals in.
Lycopene is made from tomatoes and is very beneficial to health-hence the red colour!
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Hope you feel reassured-I haven’t eaten animals for 34 years so there’s no way I’d have Huel if I thought it wasn’t vegan.
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It seems utterly ridiculous to me to remove a healthy ingredient just because it causes a few tiny red streaks. I thought it looked like blood at first but since I know what it actually is it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
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Lycopene? Isn’t that what they use to stop us breeding in case we get off the island?
Glad I’m not the only one to notice this though, I came on here looking for an email to ask what it was. Give us a heads up next time please Huel!
On the other hand I’ve not noticed a difference in taste at all. Still very happy with my Huel.
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I like the red streaks, they look quite funky in my opinion
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Oh dear me, that really is childish. No wonder companies have to dye food just to please people like you.
Grow a pair!
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And now lycopene and carrageenan… 
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I feel like judging a liquid diet by its appearance is a mistake to start with… Huel is vegan, it’s ok.
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Hangs head in shame for not reading things properly! Cheers David.
Do I get some credit for the subtle Jurassic Park reference?
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Then you’re drinking Huel for the wrong reasons. It’s for your health, not for you to enjoy looking at.
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That’s Lysine.
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Maybe Huel is like Soylent Green 
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Seen this over and over in the software development industry… we’ve nicknamed it v2 syndrome at work. Startup company has a great success with some product, and then they have to release v2 so they go all out in improving everything they can and adding whizz-bang stuff that people have suggested and they try to please their existing fan base as well as investors while trying to woo new customers and manage bank loans for expansion, and the result is just total rubbish. Success just makes them dizzy and they lose their way entirely. That initial clear goal of making it gets replaced by a need to have to please everyone, and it all falls apart.
You can see bands do it too, after an excellent debut their second or third album is usually totally rubbish. All out of ideas, yet now there’s a big demand to produce more, and torn apart by different commercial interests and directions.
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I like this analogy with bands. Pretty much how things work usually. Let’s hope Huel will not be such a good example of this!
Funny thing is I’ve been using v2 with lycopene for a while and never noticed the blood streaks, but I feel slightly queasy about it when I read about it here.
I will have been vegan for 30 years next year (February-ish), and Huel being a vegan product is what drew me to it when I first read about it in an Easyjet magazine when I was flying to Portugal last September.
because they want to make it better?
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It’s also on the first time customer leaflet and on the repeat customer leaflet. Granted there is plenty of other info on the leaflets, so you are forgiven for missing it!
Other changes made that have improved Huel (and haven’t been raised for debate)
- Addition of Lutein and Zeaxanthin
- Addition of Lycopene
- More vitamins and minerals from natural food sources
- Replaced Folic Acid with L-methylfolate Calcium
- Optimised the Ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Polyunsaturates
- Xylitol is now the Principal Carrier for our Vitamin and Mineral Blend, not maltodextrin.
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