# Nutella - most deceptive product on the shelf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285 "2013-02-24T21:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RhapsodyInBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RhapsodyInBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RhapsodyInBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/21 "2013-02-24T22:17:45Z")
I’ve never purchased or consumed the product, but I do know Androgel and Nutella are NOT interchangeable. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/22 "2013-02-24T22:21:37Z")
You guys know that peanut butter has just as many calories, more fat, and a lot more sodium right? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/23 "2013-02-24T22:23:39Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Notice any differences between [Jif Peanut Butter](http://www.foodfacts.com/NutritionFacts/Condiments-Dressings/Jif-Natural-Peanut-Butter-Crunchy--oz/57831) and [Nutella](http://www.foodfacts.com/NutritionFacts/Chocolate/Nutella-Hazelnut-Spread-26-oz/58022)? I noticed that it’s lower in saturated fat and sodium but higher in carbohydrates than the Jif that most people use, [the regular creamy Jif](http://www.foodfacts.com/NutritionFacts/Creamy/Jif-Creamy-Peanut-Butter-18-oz/53975), rather than your cherry-picked example that I’ve never even seen before. It’s substantially no different. What’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/24 "2013-02-24T22:23:48Z")
In Germany, where Nutella is a much-beloved breakfast staple, the jars say “Contains the best of 1/3 l of milk” (that’s a little less than a pint). Always makes me laugh - you could either eat a pound of sugar or just drink a glass of milk to get the same “good stuff”! However, nobody’s under any sort of misapprehension that it’s either healthy or natural. It usually is stocked with the jams and marmalade over here (with peanut butter being the niche product - as an aside, what’s supposed to be healthy about that? It’s also basically fat, right?). ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/25 "2013-02-24T22:25:37Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > You guys know that peanut butter has just as many calories, more fat, and a lot more sodium right? It’s not about the nutrition-panel numbers alone. Yes, even good peanut butter is high in fat and calories, but it’s not misrepresented. Good peanut butter is 100% ground nuts. Reasonably good PB is 90% ground nuts and a few additives. No peanut butter is around 80% sugar and highly saturated fat from a West Indies tanker. I see we have the usual number of folks with relatively few summers under their hat defending something they see as normal. The world didn’t used to be 90% shit, kids, and accepting it as normal doesn’t make it right. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/26 "2013-02-24T22:28:26Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > You guys know that peanut butter has just as many calories, more fat, and a lot more sodium right? It’s the sugar. Three times the added sugar, and less than half the protein. That’s what makes it essentially [frosting](http://www.foodfacts.com/NutritionFacts/Icing-Frosting-Decorations/Betty-Crocker-Rich-Creamy-Chocolate-Frosting-16-oz/11476) - except that it actually has MORE sugar than frosting! ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/27 "2013-02-24T22:34:28Z")
Plus peanut butters/other nut butters have **at least** double the protein of Nutella. Hell, Kirkland’s (Costco) peanut butter is just peanuts and salt. No sugar, no palm oils. You can get reasonably natural and delicious peanut butter without fuckloads of sugar and extra oil in it. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/28 "2013-02-24T22:35:19Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > I see we have the usual number of folks with relatively few summers under their hat defending something they see as normal. The world didn’t used to be 90% shit, kids, and accepting it as normal doesn’t make it right. That’s bullshit. You used leaded gas for more than half your life, old man. Environmentalism had no clout until the early 1970s. Remember Red #2? You’ve been eating shit your entire life. Spare us the stories of the good old days. It has always been caveat emptor, and if you can’t read the label or recognize puffery for what it is, that’s your problem. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/29 "2013-02-24T22:43:16Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Plus peanut butters/other nut butters have **at least** double the protein of Nutella. > > Hell, Kirkland’s (Costco) peanut butter is just peanuts and salt. No sugar, no palm oils. You can get reasonably natural and delicious peanut butter without fuckloads of sugar and extra oil in it. Our Costco hasn’t had the Kirkland peanut butter for months. We’ve been making do with Trader Joe’s natural. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/30 "2013-02-24T22:43:43Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Bingo. If it were over on the jelly or candy aisle and marketed as a yummy cocoa-flavored spread, it would be completely un-noteworthy. But it’s shouldered its way in between Skippy and Jif, in substantial volume, and quietly accepts being accepted as a “healthy nut spread.” It’s right next to the jelly on my grocery store’s aisle. I’m also not under the impression that Sugar Smacks are the same as Grape Nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/31 "2013-02-24T22:45:24Z")
The comparisons that Czarcasm posted show comparable servings 3g sugar for Nutella, 21g for the crunchy Jif. Wow. That’s a huge difference! ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/32 "2013-02-24T22:47:17Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > The comparisons that Czarcasm posted show comparable servings 3g sugar for Nutella, 21g for the crunchy Jif. Wow. That’s a huge difference! You have those switched around. 21 g sugar for Nutella, 3 for Jif. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/33 "2013-02-24T22:50:40Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > [QUOTE=the lone cashew] > The comparisons that Czarcasm posted show comparable servings 3g sugar for Nutella, 21g for the crunchy Jif. Wow. That’s a huge difference! You have those switched around. 21 g sugar for Nutella, 3 for Jif. [/QUOTE] [Cashew Butter](http://www.foodfacts.com/NutritionFacts/Cashews/Arrowhead-Mills-Creamy-Cashew-Butter-16-oz/22027) comes out pretty well, though! ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/34 "2013-02-24T22:50:43Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > I see we have the usual number of folks with relatively few summers under their hat defending something they see as normal. The world didn’t used to be 90% shit, kids, and accepting it as normal doesn’t make it right. Back in the 70’s, my mom regularly prepared meals using Hamburger Helper®, proof that your assertion is incorrect! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/35 "2013-02-24T22:58:39Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > You have those switched around. 21 g sugar for Nutella, 3 for Jif. :smack: Seriously though, thank you for pointing this out, am glad to see the mistake corrected, don’t know how I got them switched. Choosey cashews choose Jif®! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/36 "2013-02-24T22:59:22Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > Back in the 70’s, my mom regularly prepared meals using Hamburger Helper®, proof that your assertion is incorrect! > > 😉 Be thankful she used [hamburger.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkExpbnjsX8) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/37 "2013-02-24T23:00:47Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > It’s not about the nutrition-panel numbers alone. Yes, even good peanut butter is high in fat and calories, but it’s not misrepresented. Good peanut butter is 100% ground nuts. Reasonably good PB is 90% ground nuts and a few additives. No peanut butter is around 80% sugar and highly saturated fat from a West Indies tanker. > > I see we have the usual number of folks with relatively few summers under their hat defending something they see as normal. The world didn’t used to be 90% shit, kids, and accepting it as normal doesn’t make it right. Just wondering if peanut butter had as much added sugar and palm oil, would the manufacturer even be allowed to call it peanut butter rather than , say, peanut spread? I’m off to look this one up, as I do believe that there’s a defined difference in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/38 "2013-02-24T23:04:21Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > I ass/u/med the context was understood, my bad. Besides the above responses, just go look at the Nutella site. It’s pictured and presented as a “hazelnut, skim milk and cocoa” spread. It’s shown as a breakfast food, and the entire presentation would be better suited to orange juice, granola or something off a health food store’s shelf. I’m not seeing a problem. I don’t see anything there marketing it as healthy. It’s a chocolate spread and you’re shocked that it’s high in sugar? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/39 "2013-02-24T23:05:44Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > Back in the 70’s, my mom regularly prepared meals using Hamburger Helper®, proof that your assertion is incorrect! Other than being somewhat high in sodium (and like sugar, what product doesn’t have a heapin’ helpin’ of salt tossed in to whammy your taste buds…) Hamburger Helper isn’t a particularly egregious product. Dry pasta, spices and flavorings, and the all-important soy extender. Practically health food by packaged food standards. The point here is that we’re all wise and insightful and blessed by the shroud of Cecil, so maybe I’m the last in the crowd to notice the craptasticness of Nutella. (Frankly, I can’t remember ever hearing of the stuff beyond maybe two years ago… I think there is a strong push in recent years to move it from the junk-and-jelly shelf to the healthy breakfast shelf next to Pop-Tarts.) I just about guarantee, though, that if you were to stop and interview every person who put a jar in their basket, you’d find a huge proportion who have fallen for the vaguely healthy insinuations and would be surprised to have it pointed out to them that it’s on a level with ice cream syrup and canned frosting. That can’t help but disturb me. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285/40 "2013-02-24T23:11:22Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Other than being somewhat high in sodium (and like sugar, what product doesn’t have a heapin’ helpin’ of salt tossed in to whammy your taste buds…) Hamburger Helper isn’t a particularly egregious product. Dry pasta, spices and flavorings, and the all-important soy extender. Practically health food by packaged food standards. > > The point here is that we’re all wise and insightful and blessed by the shroud of Cecil, so maybe I’m the last in the crowd to notice the craptasticness of Nutella. (Frankly, I can’t remember ever hearing of the stuff beyond maybe two years ago… I think there is a strong push in recent years to move it from the junk-and-jelly shelf to the healthy breakfast shelf next to Pop-Tarts.) > > I just about guarantee, though, that if you were to stop and interview every person who put a jar in their basket, you’d find a huge proportion who have fallen for the vaguely healthy insinuations and would be surprised to have it pointed out to them that it’s on a level with ice cream syrup and canned frosting. That can’t help but disturb me. I’m not so sure. Most people spread Nutella on bread, much like they pour maple syrup over waffles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nutella-most-deceptive-product-on-the-shelf/651285.md?page=3)