Danone acquired Huel, the UK-based meal replacement brand, in a €1.2 billion deal that positioned the multinational deeper into functional nutrition, featuring Huel’s global omnichannel brand and in-house production capacity. The purchase followed Huel’s recent factory expansion in Milton Keynes and strong FY2025 revenue growth, giving Danone an established direct-to-consumer and retail footprint.
The acquisition complements Danone’s 2026 Alpro Meal To Go and earlier science-driven buys like The Akkermansia Company, aligning plant-based, gut-health and medical nutrition capabilities. For consumers, the tie-up signals faster mainstreaming of nutritionally complete, plant-forward meals backed by scientific R&D and scale, promising cleaner formulations, broader distribution and more product innovation in a category facing both growth and scrutiny over processing.
Image Credit: Huel
