Italian confectionery company Ferrero has admitted that it changed the recipe for its popular hazelnut spread Nutella slightly, adding more sugar and powdered milk.
The change was noticed by German consumer association, Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg, which analysed the product after some consumers noticed a slight change in the colour of the spread.
According to the association, the share of skimmed milk powder in the Nutella recipe has increased from 7.5% to 8.7%. Consequently, the sugar content has also risen from 55.9% to 56.3%.
'Minor Change'
Ferrero has confirmed the modification of its Nutella recipe, describing it as a 'minor change'.
The company says that the change is due to the replacement of serum milk with a higher amount of powdered milk, without any modifications to quality, nutritional value, or taste.
"This allows us to further improve the overall quality of the milk contained in Nutella and to ensure better stability over time of its unique taste," a company statement said.
"Nothing else has been changed. We affirm that Nutella remains Nutella."
Earlier this year, consumer associations and food authorities in several Central and Eastern European countries conducted studies that revealed that the Nutella sold for these markets was slightly different from that sold in Germany and Western Europe.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
