The news was announced on the German consumer firm Hamburg Consumer Protection Centre’s Facebook page on Monday.
The statement declared that Nutella will now contain 8.7 per cent of powdered skim milk, in comparison to the 7.5 per cent that was previously indicated on the label.
The company added that the spread’s sugar content will rise from 55.9 per cent to 56.3 per cent.
The adjustment of the winning recipe comes after Nutella was criticised by a Hungarian food safety authority, which found that its local Nutella was not as creamy as the kind sold in the neighbouring country of Austria.
Ferrero, the brand behind the world’s favourite hazelnut spread, issued a statement on Thursday assuring consumers that the recipe for Nutella had only changed slightly and that the quality and all other aspects of the spread would remain the same.
“It is a minor adjustment, which the food industry does regularly,” a spokesperson for Ferrero said.
“The fine tuning is only minimal in relation to the whole product.
“All relevant nutritional aspects remain similar [and the] nutritional facts show only small differences per 100 grams.”
Ferrero also denied the statement that the amount of added sugar has been increased.
However, the company admitted that the spread would change to a slightly lighter colour, due to the recipe alteration.
Despite the company’s efforts to defend the decision, Nutella lovers from across the globe took to social media in droves to express their anger in an array of languages - English, German and Italian the most prominent.
“How dare they tamper with Nutella’s recipe. Leave the chocolatey goodness alone,” one fan wrote.
Another disgruntled consumer passionately added: “Just heared [sic] that #Nutella changed their recipe. I mean come on there are things in life you CAN’T do! And this is one of this [sic] things! #sweets.”
With ANSA
