As noted in the article, Nutella is made with palm oil, whose farming often results in habitat loss for animals such the Bornean orangutan, which is critically endangered. Ferrero claims they have a chain for palm oil such that it doesn’t come from devastating monoculture plantations, but whether that’s enough or even if it’s true at all isn’t my call to make for you. I don’t personally take palm oil as part of my diet as I see it as something I can practicably cut out to reduce harm, but whether this is vegan or just plant-based is something you’ll have to decide.
I’ve always wondered what Nutella tasted like! My kids love it
It’s sweet but not overly sweet and very rich. It’s like if you took fudge, made it creamier, and spread it on something. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve had it. Because it’s one of those foods that, like bacon, everyone seems to treat as literal perfection as almost a meme, I’m sure it has an air of intrigue to it. Like bacon, I feel, it’s pretty good but unexceptional.
In my experience, the German Nutella has always been superior to the American formulation - the former is heavier on the hazelnuts and lighter on the sugar in comparison.
There are still much tastier products out there, especially since there has been time for development of similar products after Nutella became more popular.
It’s basically chocolate frosting that for some bizarre reason people have convinced themselves is healthy, I guess because there’s a tiny amount of hazelnut in it?
Nutella marketed it as healthy as it contained milk (powder) and hazelnuts. It was never healthy due to the amount of sugar.
It was originally made with hazelnuts to make a cheaper chocolate alternative. But hazelnuts are still expensive so they bulk it with palm oil. It’s basically chocolate mayo now.
Ugh, that sounds horrible (there are alternatives that don’t use palm oil already, and they taste great)
As someone out-of-the-loop here, do tell. I was hoping they might be out there, and I might give them a shot if they’re vegan.
Edit: found one thanks to JubilantJaguar below.
They’re made by a local supermarket chain here in Europe, one of their organic brands. They use sunflower oil instead of palm oil, and taste fantastic. Apart from that, just sugar, hazelnuts, cocoa, lecithin and vanilla. Maybe check organic supermarkets in your area?
There is a bakery near me that makes their own nutella. Apparently it’s really good, but i don’t like nutella to begin with, and it annoys me that it’s a supplement for chocolate
yea Nocciolata is my goto brand when I can’t find Rapunzel, which is rarer https://www.rapunzel.de/en/spreads-nut-butters.html Their spreads usually have palm oil, though.
Even if they have the ‘good’ palm oil production, them using it means some other food producer can’t buy it. So indirectly it leads to higher priced in the overall palm oil market, which leads to illicit production.
Also, nutella is horrible for you. You’re better off with adding chocolate syrup to a peanut butter.
https://www.mic.com/articles/165970/what-s-in-a-jar-of-nutella-a-viral-image-shows-the-hazelnut-spread-is-mostly-sugar
Wait, was there ever any doubt that Nutella is diabetes and CVD in a jar?
Edit: Apparently Ferrero marketed it as healthy if a comment below is to be believed. What the fuuuuuuck.
Yeah, I remember them running TV ads which were like “to give you the diabetes energy to start into the day”.
But why chickpeas and rice syrup? There’s lots of vegan hazelnut spreads which taste better than Nutella and don’t need such rather exotic ingredients…
Well, here in Germany, chickpea is relatively exotic. And I’ve never seen rice syrup as an ingredient in anything that wasn’t specifically made for vegans.
It just feels like they created a product specifically for the vegan market, which means they’re alienating parts of the non-vegan market. And yeah, I just don’t feel like that’s necessary.
This entire comment confuses me.
Here in Germany, chickpea is relatively exotic
I can’t speak to Germany, but at least where I am, chickpeas really aren’t exotic, even to people who really don’t know much of anything about other cultures. (Also, this won’t be in the German market yet; closest is the Belgian one.)
I’ve never seen rice syrup as an ingredient in anything that wasn’t specifically made for vegans.
I’ve never heard of this stereotype of rice syrup being especially prevalent in vegan products. I see rice syrup as a bit exotic, but not in a way that anyone who isn’t vegan but would be willing to buy vegan Nutella would think “well that’s just too out there for me. Syrup? Gross.”
It feels like they created a product specifically for the vegan market
That does seem to be the point of them removing dairy, yes.
which means they’re alienating parts of the non-vegan market
?_? How would this be alienating to someone who’s not vegan would otherwise try it as a vegan alternative? Like say what you want about enormous corporations like Ferrero, but I’m at least reasonably confident they did some market testing for this. The problem this comment is addressing feels extremely manufactured. If it doesn’t appeal to you, that’s one thing, but it feels like you’re overgeneralizing your own niche experience onto everyone else.
“Well, here in Germany, chickpea is relatively exotic.”
Where? Because… I’ve been around a little bit and it wasn’t. But maybe somewhere rural where pizza is still seen as weird foreign food?
Have you ever heard of hummus? It’s this exotic food from the old world. It’s made from sesame, chickpea, garlic, and oil. You’ve got to try it.
The shelves are full of chickpeas here in Germany, what are you talking about
I’d try this
