The Danone Huel CMA clearance has been confirmed, with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) giving the green light to Danone’s takeover of British nutrition brand Huel after a preliminary review. The regulator said it is satisfied the merger can proceed in its current form.
The CMA is the UK’s principal competition watchdog, responsible for examining whether mergers could reduce competition and harm consumers. Its clearance at the preliminary stage means the deal faces no further regulatory hurdles in the United Kingdom.
What the deal is worth and when it completes
Danone agreed to buy Huel in March. The companies did not publicly disclose the price, but the acquisition was reported to value Huel at around one billion euros, equivalent to roughly £860 million. According to Morningstar, the deal is valued at $1.2 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed in September 2026, according to The Plant Base.
The CMA opened its merger inquiry on 15 July 2026, according to the GOV.UK case page. Interested parties were given the opportunity to submit comments on whether the acquisition could reduce competition in the relevant markets. Having considered those submissions, the regulator concluded no further investigation was required.
Danone Huel CMA clearance: the strategic picture
For Danone, the Huel acquisition forms part of a broader push into the nutrition sector. The French food and drink company said the deal will support that growth ambition, while for Huel it is expected to accelerate international expansion and provide the resource to scale the brand further.
The move also continues a pattern of acquisitions in plant-based and specialist nutrition. The Plant Base reports that Danone also acquired Kate Farms, a provider of plant-based medical nutrition products, last year, suggesting a deliberate strategic direction toward science-led and functional food brands rather than traditional grocery staples.
Danone already owns a wide portfolio of brands familiar to UK shoppers, including baby milk products Aptamil and Cow & Gate, yogurt and probiotic drinks Activia and Actimel, and mineral waters Evian and Volvic. Adding Huel would bring a brand with strong recognition among younger, health-conscious consumers who treat food as fuel rather than occasion.
Huel’s rise from Hertfordshire startup to global brand
Huel was founded in 2015 by Julian Hearn and is based in Hertfordshire. Its original mission was to provide nutritionally complete food products designed to reduce meal preparation time while delivering essential nutrients. The brand grew rapidly, moving from online-only sales into retail stores and broadening its range to include powders, shakes, snack bars and ready-to-drink bottles.
The brand attracted a number of celebrity investors along the way, including British actor Idris Elba and TV broadcaster Jonathan Ross. Dragons’ Den star and podcaster Steven Bartlett was previously a director of the company. However, an advert featuring Bartlett was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority in 2024 for failing to make clear his commercial relationship with the brand, a reminder that influencer and celebrity marketing carries its own compliance obligations under UK advertising rules.
That episode did not slow Huel’s commercial momentum. By the time Danone tabled its offer, the brand had established itself as one of the better-known names in the UK’s fast-growing functional nutrition market, competing alongside a growing range of meal-replacement and protein products on supermarket shelves and online.
With the CMA satisfied and no further regulatory obstacles in the UK, both companies are now working toward a September 2026 completion date, at which point Huel will formally become part of the Danone portfolio.
