Is Nutella Too Fattening for Americans? Ferrero to Pay $4 Per Pot

Makers of the famous chocolate spread Nutella will pay up to $4 per pot, purchased in the U.S. between 2008 and 2012, to settle a class action lawsuit by a California mother saying she was unaware that the spread was so unhealthy.

Ferrero USA, a subsidiary of the Italian giant Ferrero, will pay up to $4 for every jar of Nutella purchased in California between August 2009 and January 23, 2012, and in the rest of the United States between January 2008 and February 3, 2012. The agreement does not include the rest of the world. The company will pay a total $3.05 million, paying less than $4 per pot if the number of complainants becomes too high. This amount is unlikely to hurt the company, however, as it was quite profitable last year.

“Shocked” Mother Filed Complaint in February 2011

Ferrero USA has also agreed to “modify labeling of Nutella and certain marketing statements,” and to better detail its nutrition information, according to the text published on the site nutellaclassactionsettlement.com. Consumers should send their application for the lawsuit before July 5 (maximum five pots), which is four days before the courts definitively validate the regulations. Athena Hohenberg, mother of one in San Diego, filed a complaint in February 2011, arguing that Ferrero Nutella promoted itself “as an example of a tasty yet well balanced breakfast” and a spread “healthier than it actually is.”

She says she was “shocked” to discover that Nutella was a food neither healthy nor “nutritious” but, rather, barely better than candy, and that it contained dangerous levels of saturated fats, according to her complaint.

Contacted by the AFP [Agence France-Presse], Athena Hohenberg, property manager, declined to comment on the case. Ferrero denies the accusations. “We believe that it is in the best interest of the company to resolve these matters, and have reached an agreement with the parties involved,” said a spokeswoman for Ferrero to AFP by email Friday.

So Good on Pancakes

The main ingredients of Nutella are sugar, palm oil, cocoa and skim milk. Sold in over one hundred countries, the chocolate hazelnut spread was invented in 1944 by Pietro Ferrero in a bakery in Alba, in northern Italy. After his death in 1949, the company, which also makes Tic Tac candy, has remained in the family. Athena Hohenberg’s complaint prompted mocking comments, such as the one from a West Coast newspaper, LA Weekly, advising “other litigious California mothers” to behave responsibly. “Try making your own snacks for your kids,” the newspaper said. A bit of Nutella, occasionally, does not hurt, if you feed your children properly. And it’s so good spread on homemade buckwheat pancakes.