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Nutella: How the world went nuts for a hazelnut spread
- 001sky 12y agoNutella is awesome--it tastes great, is shelf-stable, long-lasting and packs in very good calorie density. That being said, it is only 11% nuts by mass. And 92% of its calorie content is from either fat or sugar. "Hazzlenut Spread" is a misleading description for what it is. It is a palm-oil and sugar based (ie, synthetic) cake frosting, that is only "flavored with" cocoa power and hazlenut flour. It is <not> a "nut butter" or "nut spread". That should be somewhat self-evident from reading this history of the product--it was a war-time substitute. (It lacks the protein of a true nut butter, which is a shame from a health-perspective.)
- anishkothari 12y agoGreat insight. I really like the taste of Nutella, but it is extremely sweet - which may have something to do with its popularity. Hershey's and Jif have released similar products (hazelnut spread) recently too. I think there may be more consumer demand for a more nutritious chocolate/nut spread as you suggest. Interestingly, Nutella doesn't do well in warmer temperatures. So their ability to reach new markets in warmer climates (C./S. America, South/SE Asia, Africa) may be somewhat limited until they figure this out.