France's environment minister, Ségolène Royal, has appealed to consumers to stop eating Nutella to help protect the Earth's eco-systems.
In an interview on French TV station Canal Plus to discuss a global climate summit France will host in December, she underlined the need for a massive re-plantation programme of trees in response to large-scale deforestation, which, she said "has led to global warming".
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She then added: "We must stop eating Nutella, for example, because it's palm oil which has 'replaced' trees and there has been considerable damage….They (Ferrero) need to use different raw materials."
When her interviewer affirmed that Nutella tasted "good" she replied: "That may be the case but you mustn't eat it."
Ferrero refused to be drawn on Royal's comment but in a statement it emphasised its commitment to the environment and its palm oil supplies.
The group said its French production plant had used "100% certified sustainable" palm oil for its products since 2013 – two years ahead of an initial timeframe.
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