A British company claims to have developed a replacement for food - a vegan shake that contains all the protein, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals that the body needs.
Huel is a vegan formula that is mixed with water and then drunk like a milkshake. The developers claim that the product contains the recommended allowance of all the main food groups, supplemented with extra vitamins and minerals. The product tastes sweet and its main ingredients are oat flour, pea protein, brown rice protein and flaxseed, supplemented with a cavalcade of vitamins and minerals, The Times reported.
Julian Hearn, who founded the company behind Huel, said he expected some customers to replace their entire diets with Huel, although a large-scale safety trial is yet to be conducted. "Given that everybody leads increasingly busy lives and home cooking is not something that everybody wants to do, lots of people have reverted to grabbing a panini or some other ready food on the way to work," he said.
However, experts are reticent about the product, pointing out that not only does a complex and varied diet bring health benefits, many of which are still being discovered, but that there is also a social and cultural value to mealtimes.
A week's supply of Huel costs £45.
