A Nutella ingredient may cause cancer if processed at hight temperatures.
Although the internet’s adoration for Nutella seems to have died down slightly, a new study issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reveals that a key ingredient in the popular product, palm oil, may cause cancer in certain conditions.
According to EFSA study, palm oil, a widely used chemical in the food industry as well as an essential Nutella ingredient can become carcinogenic when it is processed at high temperatures of around 200 degrees Celsius.
More specifically, the EFSA study reveals that the highest amounts of known carcinogens such as the glycidyl fatty acid esters (GE), 2-monochloropropanediol (2-MCPD), and 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD) were found in processed vegetable oils. Furthermore, they were present in higher concentrations in palm oils and palm fats.
Although the study did not specifically mention Nutella, as they only referred to margarine, cakes, and pastries as possible sources of contact with those substances for small children. However, one glance at the ingredient label and you can find out that the controversial palm oil is indeed a Nutella ingredient.
Following the findings of the study, several supermarkets in Italy decided to pull the popular product from their shelves. The company that produced Nutella is based in Italy and is known as Ferrero has taken a public stance against the claims it can cause cancer.
It several posts about their product and the recent controversy, the company sought to assure their consumers that the product is safe for consumption by stating the way they use palm oil to produce Nutella does not lead to the formation of the carcinogens in question. The EFSA study did not make any recommendations regarding the consumption of Nutella, as more research is required to assess the risk.
However, palm oil is affected by a number of other controversies such as farmers in Indonesia burning down large swaths of forest to plant more palm trees from whose fruits the oil is produced. Being the cheapest oil on the market at $800 a ton compared to $845 for sunflower oil is used at a large scale in the food industry. As such, Ferrero even defended its use of palm oil, in general, stating it gives Nutella it’s distinct texture and taste, unlike any other type of vegetable oil.
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