It all came to light in a viral image of those jars of chocolatey heaven – and finally, the company has responded.
Nutella, owned by parent company Ferrero, came under fire previously when a photo went viral showing the quantities of the spread’s main ingredients – palm oil, skimmed milk powder, cocoa, hazelnuts and sugar.
The image sparked outrage mainly due to the amount of palm oil, which has been classified as ‘potentially carcinogenic’ by the European Food Safety Authority, but also because of the quantity of sugar.
While the company is yet to confirm or deny whether the photo is an accurate depiction of the product, they have released a statement to say they are ‘transparent about the ingredients’.
The statement says:
We don’t disclose the full proportions of the ingredients in Nutella as our recipe is unique and we wish to safeguard this.
The product’s label provides simple and clear nutritional information per 15g portion, or two heaped teaspoons, as well as per 100g. The ingredients are also listed on the Nutella website.
Ferrero said of the high amounts of sugar in their product: ‘One of Ferrero’s core nutritional beliefs is that small portion sizes help people to enjoy their favorite foods in moderation.’
The company was also forced to defend it’s use of palm oil. The ingredient is used in lipstick, toothpaste, chocolate bars, ice cream, instant noodles, shampoo, soap and detergent to name a few, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.
Aafter sales fell, Ferrero, the spread’s manufacturer, put out adverts in an attempt to reassure people that the product was safe – this, unfortunately for the company, seems to have backfired.
In their commercial campaign, Ferrero said Nutella would ‘not be the same’ without the use of palm oil and that they ‘use it in a way that isn’t dangerous’.
Ferrero’s purchasing manager, Vincenzo Tapella told Reuters switching ingredients would result in an inferior spread which wouldn’t be as smooth.
In the advert, Tapella explains that the palm oil used by Ferrero is processed at a controlled temperature and comes from freshly squeezed fruits, making it safe
*Puts spoon down*
