It's creamy, gooey chocolate that millions around the world eat for breakfast..and lunch, and dinner and sometimes just with a spoon in front of the television. Nutella is world famous for being an addictive treat that's hard to resist. Except for French Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal, who, in a recent interview on French television, advised people to stop eating the delicious chocolate spread.
Nutella is comprised of 20% palm oil. Trees that produce the oil are taking over in some countries. Because it's profitable, farmers are cutting down other trees to plant oil palms. Royal says this leads to deforestation and indirectly, global warming. Also, it's not healthy. Most of the palm oil used in Nutella comes from Malaysia, where the forests support a large amount of species that do not exist anywhere else in the world, so deforestation there is especially damaging.
Royal suggested that the company that manufactures the popular spread try to find another ingredient that isn't as damaging to the environment. The Fererro company that produces 11 million jars of the product every year issued a statement that said they are aware of the environmental impact and try to make sure the palm oil they use is sourced responsibly.
