It seems like we can’t go more than two weeks without a new dietary crisis or public health scare making the headlines. At the rate we’re heading, soon everything will be declared a social menace that threatens life and limb. According to popular tabloids, the following things all gave been purported to cause cancer: baby bottles, artificial light, caffeine, calcium, eggs, false nails, steak, sex, wine and Wi-Fi.
Bearing that in mind, I’d like to say “take the following with a pinch of salt”… but that extra sodium is probably cancerous too.
I’m sure we all remember the horror and shock experienced by all when bacon was declared potentially cancerous back in 2015. That was due to the fact that most bacon is smoked in order to properly cure the meat, which makes it carcinogenic, which in turn makes it a potential cancer risk.
But now a new discovery had been made regarding one of the world’s favourite confectionery spreads, and now worried supermarkets are reportedly considering withdrawing all stocks. Apparently, the delicious chocolatey spread Nutella is potentially dangerous, and the reason why is actually pretty shocking. But is it really a risk? Or are stores overreacting?
Ferrero, the manufacturer of Nutella, has responded to claims from certain experts that the palm oil used in their hazelnut and chocolate spreads could cause cancer. The European Food Standards Authority has previously declared that that palm oil contains a contaminant, known as glycidyl fatty acid ester, which is carcinogenic.
The EFSA warned in May 2016 that even a moderate consumption of the substance represented a risk to children, and said that, due to a lack of definitive data, no level could be considered safe. “There is sufficient evidence that glycidol is genotoxic and carcinogenic, therefore the Contam panel did not set a safe level for GE,” the chair of Contam, the EFSA investigative panel, stated.
Ferrero has now launched an advertising campaign to promote the safety of the spread in response, in a hope to reassure customers, after some retailers, including Italy’s supermarket chain, Coop, neglected to stock it. “Making Nutella without palm oil would produce an inferior substitute for the real product; it would be a step backward,” Ferrero’s purchasing manager Vincenzo Tapella said. Indeed, the fears around palm oil will cause problems for a number of processed foods, such as ice cream, instant noodles and margarine, all of which contain the substance.
Nutella was first invented by Italian baker and confectioner Pietro Ferrero in 1946, when chocolate rationing made supplies of cocoa scarce. To overcome this conundrum, Ferrero created a spread which consisted primarily of hazelnuts and oil in order to extend the amount of chocolate.
Today Ferrero produces around 350,000 tonnes of the stuff every year, and it’s universally enjoyed throughout the world. In fact, many believe it’s one of the best sweet treats on the planet.
Share This Post
