Why Nutella could be taken off the shelves

Nutella's manufacturers have hit out at a landmark report that found one of its ingredients to be cancerous.

The chocolate spread relies on palm oil for its smooth texture and considerably long shelf life.

However, a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) declared it to be more carcinogenic than any other oil, following similar claims by the WHO.

Now, since Nutella's profits have taken a 3 percent hit, the manufacturer Ferrero has launched a televised campaign, insisting they use palm oil in a way that is not dangerous.

The commercial insists the spread would not be the same without refined palm oil.

It does not mention the other compelling factor: since palm oil is the cheapest oil on the market, a switch in ingredients would cost Ferrero an extra $8-22 million a year.

The detailed EFSA report, published in May 2016, said palm oil is more dangerous than other vegetable oils when refined at temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius.

High temperatures are used to remove palm oil's natural red color and neutralize its smell.

This process, however, causes contaminants called glycidyl fatty acid esters (or, GE) to form.

When digested, GE has a tendency to break down and release glycidol, a compound strongly believed to cause tumors.

According to a report by the US National Institutes of Health, oral exposure to glycidol has caused tumors at many different tissue sites in lab mice and lab rats.

However, Ferrero says it uses an industrial process that combines a temperature of just below 200C and extremely low pressure to minimize contaminants.

'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.

He features in a TV commercial aired in Italy over the past three months that has drawn criticism from politicians as they call for palm oil to be banned.

The detailed EFSA report, published in May 2016, said palm oil is more dangerous than other vegetable oils when refined at temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius.

High temperatures are used to remove palm oil's natural red color and neutralize its smell.

This process, however, causes contaminants called glycidyl fatty acid esters (or, GE) to form.

When digested, GE has a tendency to break down and release glycidol, a compound strongly believed to cause tumors.

According to a report by the US National Institutes of Health, oral exposure to glycidol has caused tumors at many different tissue sites in lab mice and lab rats.

However, Ferrero says it uses an industrial process that combines a temperature of just below 200C and extremely low pressure to minimize contaminants.

The process takes longer and costs 20 percent more than high-temperature refining, Ferrero told Reuters.

Meanwhile rivals are opportunistically advertising themselves as 'palm oil-free' - possibly spurring the dent in Nutella's sales.

- Daily Mail