Nutella Damages Environment, French Official Says Before Apologizing

Nutella damages the environment, according to French ecology minister Ségolène Royal, who urged people this week to stop eating the chocolate hazelnut spread, but later apologized for her comments.

Royal originally said Monday on French television network Canal+ that the Italian favorite contributes to deforestation and should be made from "other ingredients," according to The Guardian.

"We have to replant a lot of trees because there is massive deforestation that also leads to global warming," she said. "We should stop eating Nutella, for example, because it’s made with palm oil. Oil palms have replaced trees, and therefore caused considerable damage to the environment."

Nutella maker Ferrero receives nearly 80 percent of its palm oil from Malaysia, while the rest came from Brazil, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, according to the BBC.

Royal's comments immediately sparked backlash from the Italian government and Ferrero.

"Ségolène Royal is worrying," Luca Galletti, the Italian environment minister, said, according to The Guardian. "Leave Italian products alone. For dinner tonight . . . it's bread with Nutella."

Michele Anzaldi, a senior Italian politician, said France committed a "serious and ugly" accusation against Italy and called for an apology.

Royal then spoke out, offering "a thousand apologies," according to The Guardian.

It is hardly the first controversy to surround the popular chocolate spread. In 2012, Ferrero settled a class action lawsuit in the United States for $3.05 million after a mother in California accused the company of false advertising for promoting Nutella as a "healthy" and "balanced nutrition" option, ABC News reported.

Athena Hohenberg, of San Diego, argued that the company failed to mention that Nutella contained 200 calories, 11 grams of fats, and 21 grams of sugar in a few tablespoons.

Also in 2012, the French parliament tried but failed to pass what was called the "Nutella amendment," which would have imposed a 300-percent tax on palm oil. French legislators then argued if palm oil harmed the environment and made children obese, The Guardian noted.

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