Saturated fat in RTD

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I know this has been brought up before but thought I’d mention it again as I’ve heard Huel are planning/building new manufacturing capacity to deal with the stock issues.

I much prefer the RTD to the standard powders, and before the stock issues had begun ordering packs of 12 fairly regularly.

The reasons I enjoy RTD more - convenience (it’s literally ready to drink), but also the flavour and texture are something I can’t match with the powder. To get something close I’d have to measure a specific amount of water (not just eyeball it), add the powder, blend it to remove some of the graininess, then chill it for a couple of hours to settle/thicken.

I think I could probably go 2/3rds or more of my calories on RTD if it weren’t for one issue…

The saturated fat levels.

5.0g per 500ml seems excessive to me.

I know some have other beliefs but it’s still popularly viewed that saturated fat is bad and should be limited/avoided. The NHS back this view.

5.0g is 25% of the average woman’s RDI, and 20% of the average man’s. 5.0g of saturated fat is similar to what you find in similar quantities of milkshakes and desserts.

And again, it’s the reason I don’t drink it more than once a day. I’d love to drink it 2-3 times a day.

I know James came on here before and said one of the reasons was RTD was designed as more of a grab and go type thing and that the saturated fat made it more palatable (apologies if I’ve misquoted).

But why should it be? RTD in my opinion is just more convenient, it shouldn’t compromise on nutrition and health just because it’s in a ready mixed bottle.

When I try to make the powdered version similar in consistency to RTD at home, I can get it to maybe 85% of what RTD is just from a little blending and chilling - I’m sure the new manufacturing process could do something very similar and quicker than me.

As for saturated fat levels, 1.0g or less per 500ml would be absolutely perfect, although I’d cautiously accept up to 2.0g.

I’m sure if you polled the RTD customer base and asked if they would accept a slightly different taste experience for a measurably healthier drink they’d say yes.

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The product has to be paletable and enjoyable enough or people won’t consume it, and without access to a version with a lower saturated fat content it’s not possible for us to judge whether the trade off would be worth it but given what has just happened with the bars, a taste which appeals to the masses in a retail environment is now a top priority.

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Taste first nutrition second is their new motto

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Ultimately RTD is just a different product to the powders, we’ve always been upfront about that. There are considerations that have to go into making a ready-to-drink product including shelf stability as well as nutrition, taste, and competing products.

Fat is more energy-dense than carbohydrate and protein, so the Huel Ready-to-drink formula includes large amounts of healthy fats in order to achieve less volume and an easy-to-consume Huel meal in a bottle. Moreover, there are some fatty acids that are required for optimal health, and Huel Ready-to-drink is rich in the fats that provide these essential fatty acids.

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Hi amie - not sure why you’re highlighting total fat here, I was talking specifically about the saturated fat content which is pretty much widely accepted as being detrimental to health.

You mention various considerations, but Huel’s own motto is nutrition first, taste second and this feels more like “taste first, shelf stability second, nutrition third”. Huel RTD already has a long shelf life. I’m not a scientist so I don’t know how the the proportion of saturated fat directly impacts shelf life but I’m sure if you polled customers they’d happily take a significant reduction in saturated fat as a trade for reduced shelf life.

I don’t know why I post to be honest, as with other people all Huel seem to do is defend their products even when science and the NHS give compelling reasons to make changes. I can’t remember the last time a customer raised a concern/issue and Huel actually listened and made a change.

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Apologies for the confusion here!
The quantity of saturated fat does seem high at first glance - this is largely due to the presence of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are derived from coconut, and we add them to Huel to increase the fat content and balance out the macro split. While you’re absolutely right that it’s generally recognised saturated fat is the ‘bad’ kind of fat, it’s important to take a deeper dive into where these sat fats are coming from. MCTs behave slightly differently to typical long-chain saturated fat, and are absorbed and metabolised more like an energy-dense carbohydrate source than a fat. Crucially, MCTs haven’t been evidentially linked to increased cholesterol levels, which is where the issues with high intakes of long-chain saturated fats stem from.
You can read a little more on this here → https://uk.huel.com/pages/benefits-of-medium-chain-triglycerides-mcts

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Hardly. The products are all complete nutrition.

That’s been the case since day one, in the interim, is today, and will continue to be going forward. So that’s nutrition first.

As taste is second (coming after the above), we see continual tweaking of and introduction of new flavours - alongside the plain, unsweetened and unflavoured version.

Problem?

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I think there’s a better than evens chance @hunzas was being ironic.

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Yes you obviously have a problem…no sense of humour. You must be the only person here who didn’t understand it was humour.

The cue was in “new motto”, the other one has been around forever.

Problem?

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I just answered the eejit

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you’re a dry wit!

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Are you even listening to her responses?

She has made it clear that:
RTD is NOT the same product as powder.
RTD is made with consideration to shelf life / stability

Have you not come to the realisation that perhaps RTD is a convenience variant of Huel? Meaning that, since it’s ready made and can be bought on a whim up and down the country (in the event you forget to prepare a homemade Powder 3.1 drink at home) can go and get it and still come out much better than going for a KFC or McDonald’s for lunch. RELATIVE to that, there is a lot less saturated fat. Have you considered that this might be the general goal?

According to your own numbers, women/men could drink 4-5 of these per day before reaching the NHS limit. Who drinks 4-5 RTD per day? That would take you up to your NHS limit, not exceeding it. So what’s the issue? for real.

If you can afford £3,832.50 per year on three of these a day, everyday, more power to you. As above, you’d still be within your limit according to the NHS for Sat Fat. But not enough others would likely consume it at this rate to make it worthy for Huel to make some kind of zero or low sat fat version (the product today is relatively niche as it is to most people). Zero fat versions of things are awful anyway. Waste of a product line if Huel were to do it.

The RTD product is about convenience and really, comparable to going to get fast-food.

I feel like these threads are definitely welcomed suggestion, but sometimes Huel are aware of things like this, and when they proceed to explain it, you say they’re not listening?

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Is that rhyming slang?

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Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s just stupid

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‘Funny first, stupid a close second’ - works for me.

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Genius old chap🤣

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Let’s try and stay on topic chaps

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I do try, but there are too many eejits for me to keep in line without Tim’s help.

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Ofcourse I’m listening, I literally responded to every point she made.

Just because she made points clear, doesn’t mean they cna’t be challenged which is what I was intending.

Yes RTD is a different product but it shouldn’t divert from the nutrition first, taste second ethos. It is possible to take a different product line too far from a company’s mission statement.

As for considerations, you’re just making assumptions. The only ‘facts’ we know about RTD based on Huel’s own information and what Amie has said in this thread is a) It’s ready to drink (doesn’t require mixing by the customer), and b) the other considerations are shelf-life, nutrition, taste and competing products.

Nowhere does it say nutrition has to be compromised, and especially considering (again) Huel’s own motto (which is written on the walls in its HQ) is nutrition first, taste second. It seems this product has been allowed to divert from that a little.

Amie mentioned MCTs as the type of saturated fat - not something I know enough about (I thought all sat fats were equally bad). I’ll have to read up on that.

Not sure what someone can afford or how many RTDs a person wants to drink a day is relevent. Lots of people do 100% Huel (or close to) and the cost per meal of RTD isn’t drastically different to cost per meal of the bags. Your opinion of “zero fat versions of things are awful anyway” is just that - your opinion. I have no problem with them, and prefer them in some cases.

Nowhere on Huel’s website does it say RTD is a compromise. Yes it may be designed to be a healthier option than fast food or other quick meals, but it can still be improved and I feel the one area they can do so is reducing the sat fat.

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