Does Nutella give you cancer? Company hits back after study

Nutella may not be terribly good for your teeth if you eat whole jars of it – but can the chocolate spread really give you cancer?

A European study made headlines around the world with the suggestion that palm oil (an ingredient in Nutella, and many other food products) might pose a cancer risk.

This is (obviously) very different from saying ‘Nutella causes cancer’ – and no food safety authorities have suggested that Nutella poses a risk.

What’s actually happening is that European authorities might impose limits on the amount of palm oil food products can contain – which will cost manufacturers a lot of money.

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The EU-backed European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found last year that palm oil generates more of a possible cancer-causing contaminant – glycidyl fatty esters (GE) – when refined at above 200C.

But it’s not clear how much of a risk this poses to humans, and no agency has said that people need to stop eating palm oil – just that more studies are needed.

Nutella maker Ferrero has hit back with a series of TV adverts.

Vincenzo Tapella, Ferrero’s purchasing manager, said in a TV ad, ‘The palm oil used by Ferrero is safe because it comes from freshly squeezed fruits and is processed at controlled temperatures.’