

Nutella: How the world went nuts for a hazelnut spread - anishkothari
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27438001

======
001sky
Nutella 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
Great 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.

