Vegan Nutella:what it contains and why it remains an ultra-processed food

Ferrero launched vegan Nutella:there is no milk, but the first ingredient remains sugar, followed by palm oil and, a few, hazelnuts.The opinion of the nutritionist.

• Plant-Based Nutella will soon be on sale in supermarkets, suitable for those following a vegan diet and those intolerant to lactose.
• Milk is replaced by chickpeas and rice syrup, vanillin by artificial flavourings.Quantities of sugar, hazelnuts and cocoa are the same as classic Nutella.
• Nutritionist Renata Alleva explains why it is an ultra-processed food.

Same iconic jar, green cap instead of white, the glass of milk disappearing from the label and, in its place, a leaf with the“plant based” indication:the multinational Ferrero launched the Vegan Nutella to conquer a further market share in a category, that of plant-based spreadable creams, which is growing especially in the short term (+31 percent) with a total value of around 30 million euros.

What's in vegan Nutella

In vegan Nutella the classic recipe milk is replaced by vegetable ingredients which chickpeas And rice syrup which make it so suitable for vegans And lactose intolerant.As explained by the manufacturer, rice syrup allows you to obtain the same sweetness as powdered milk, while chickpeas integrate well with the other ingredients in terms of taste and consistency.Plant-Based Nutella will arrive in supermarkets in Italy, France and Belgium in the coming weeks;those who tasted it in preview are divided:there are those who maintain that the difference with classic Nutella is not perceptible, especially in consistency, and there are those who, however, notice slightly different aromas.

Vegan Nutella is certified “vegan approved” by the Vegetarian Society, while as regards lactose, it can be consumed by intolerants, but not by those who are allergic to milk proteins as the product is manufactured in a factory that uses milk.Like classic Nutella, it is also gluten free.

The commitment to make the packaging more sustainable translates into 60 percent Of recycled glass of which the jar is made, while the cap is produced with virgin materials and with recycled plastic, in an equivalent quantity. The recommended retail price of Plant-Based Nutella is 12.82 euros per kilo, therefore 4.49 euros for the 350 gram jar:it's about the 50 percent more of the cost of traditional Nutella.

Vegan Nutella:nutritional values

From the nutritional point of view, Plant-Based Nutella contains a little fewer calories (534 kcal per 100 grams of product compared to 539 for classic Nutella), a little less sugar (45.4 grams of sugars against 56.3), while i saturated fat they are a little more in the vegan Nutella (11 grams versus 10.6).“As far as calories and fat are concerned, these are negligible differences – explains the nutritionist Renata Alleva, specialized in Food Sciences –.More significant, however, is the one on sugar, but the fact remains that it is still an extremely refined product which, like all ultra-processed foods, is at the origin of metabolic inflammation, cardiovascular diseases and an increased risk of cancer, especially breast cancer. , ovarian and colon".

Because vegan Nutella remains an ultra-processed food

The first ingredient of vegan Nutella remains the same sugar, followed bypalm oil (certified as sustainable by the company).The hazelnuts I'm the 13 percent of the product - as in traditional Nutella -, followed by chickpeas, the low-fat cocoa – in a quantity equivalent to the classic recipe –, rice syrup powder, emulsifiers, salt and flavourings not specified, which replace the vanillin of the classic recipe.“If we consider that in 100 grams of Nutella there are 10 grams of hazelnuts, basically just one hazelnut, we understand that calling it hazelnut cream is ridiculous.Furthermore, vegan Nutella is worse than the traditional recipe if we look at the artificial flavors introduced."

The nutritionist:“We need to rehabilitate the taste for healthier foods”

“It is a product that forces the pleasure of food towards sugar, fueling the idea that healthy foods are sad – explains Alleva –.The truth is that we need to rehabilitate our taste.The optimal alternative, therefore, is a cream made with 100 percent hazelnuts and organic, since hazelnut crops in agriculture are widely treated with chemical substances.In this way we combine taste and well-being, also considering that some varieties of hazelnuts contain anti-tumor compounds such as taxol.Furthermore, vegan Nutella does not contain fibers which are a fundamental component for the intestinal microbiota, as well as being useful for reducing the glycemic index of a food".

For the expert, the higher cost of vegan Nutella compared to the traditional one is determined not by the ingredients, but by the "plant based" claim.A name which, moreover, is in contradiction with the product itself.While the vegan diet excludes the consumption of animals and derivatives but can include i ultra-processed foods, the plant-based diet it refers instead to a predominantly plant-based diet based on fresh and minimally processed foods.