The Food And Drug Administration Wants To Know How You Eat Your Nutella

Nutella is synonymous with love for many a foodie. We eat it atop waffles, pancakes and bread, bake it into desserts or simply wolf it down by the spoonful straight from the bottle.

However, now Ferrero, the manufacturer behind Nutella, is trying to argue that Nutella is used more commonly as a spread rather than a ‘topping’. Why? So that the nutty chocolate spread will appeal to calorie conscious customers.

Yes, at first glance we were confused too.

An Appeal To The FDA

Since 1993, Nutella has been labelled as a dessert topping by the FDA, which states that typically two tablespoons are consumed per serving when it comes to toppings.

However, Ferrero has now approached the US FDA saying that Nutella is more popularly consumed as a spread, for which a typical serving size is a tablespoon. If the FDA allows Ferrero to change Nutella’s classification from ‘topping’ to ‘spread’, Ferrero can cut the number of calories and fat listed under the ‘per serving’ section on Nutella’s nutritional levels in half.

A two tablespoon serving contains 11 grams of fat, 22 grams of carbohydrates and 200 calories. By cutting these sizes in half, Nutella hopes to appeal to calorie conscious consumers.

The FDA will be asking the public how they eat Nutella before they decide whether it can indeed be classified as a spread or remain a topping. The public commenting period is open until January 3^rd 2017 and can be accessed here. 

Interestingly, in 2012, Ferrero surveyed 722 Nutella buyers; 74% said they eat it on bread or toast, 6% said they eat it on its own while 5% ticked off the ‘Other’ category, indicating that they may be consuming a lot more Nutella than they’d like to admit.

Considering the amount of Nutella cake, cookie, muffin and cupcake recipes out there as well as the Nutella desserts on many a restaurant menu, we think Ferrero may be fighting a losing battle. But, honestly, who cares about calorie counts when it tastes that good. Right?