Is Nutella no longer the same?
A German consumer group recently revealed that Ferrero, the Italian company that makes Nutella, has changed the recipe. "As the color of the new Nutella is lighter, we are working on the assumption that skimmed milk powder was added at the expense of cocoa," the center said.
Ferrero confirmed the change, and explained that what they did was to substitute whey milk with powdered skimmed milk, therefore actually improving the quality. The quantity of milk has now increased to 8.7 percent, surpassing the quantity of cocoa. The change has also caused the sugar content to increase, from 56.3 percent from the previous 55.9 percent, surely a minor increase, but, in a world that has staged a war on sugars, unlikely to be accepted.
Ferrero was also quick to add that the “recipe, unique and delicious, remains what we know and love, with the same high-quality criteria.”
(The hazelnut content remains the same, 13 percent.)
Nutella fans weren’t pleased with news of the change and took to social media to express their outrage, sparking hashtags such as #NutellaGate and #BoycottNutella. Why change a product that was already perfect, many are wondering.
To consumers asking for explanation of the change, the NutellaUSA account on Twitter responded that, “The recent fine-tuning we performed in US is only minor–we substituted whey powder with an equivalent quantity of milk powder. That’s all. Our recipe contains 7 simple ingredients, with no colors or preservatives.”
The seven ingredients that make up Nutella are: sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, milk powder, lecithin (a natural emulsifier), and vanillin (a synthetic aroma used in place of vanilla).
Nutella was invented in 1964 and has gone on to enjoy planetary success. If you're curious about knowing how Nutella was born, we tell you the story in this dual-language article.
