Ferrero has today published a two-page ad in France’s national press defending its use of palm oil in the recipe of its chocolate spread Nutella.
This week, the French Senate voted in favour of an amendment to a government bill that would increase a special tax on palm oil from EUR100 to EUR300 per tonne.
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The Senate-initiated amendment has been justified on the grounds of promoting healthier eating and combating obesity. The bill will now return to the French Assembly for a second reading.
“Contrary to popular belief and certain opportunist statements, within the framework of a balanced diet, palm oil is not a danger to health. In terms of saturated fats, it has a nutritional profile close to butter,” Ferrero said.
“Nutritionists say that its the consumption of saturated fats that must be monitored whereas Nutella on a slice of bread contains fewer saturated fats than the majority of other snacks and breakfasts [in Nutella’s category],” Ferrero claimed.
Ferrero’s ad also refers to its objective to use 100% sustainable palm oil by 2015.
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