World Nutella Day: Fun Facts!

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of all the weird and wonderful things you might not know about the culinary classic…

• In 2014 Ferrero actually held their own Nutella Day between 17 and 18 May, to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. The 5 February World Nutella Day we’re celebrating today has been going since 2007 and was started by American blogger Sara Rosso.
• The main ingredients in Nutella are sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts (which make up 13% of the recipe) and skim milk powder.
• Many countries use a slight variation on the classic Nutella recipe – for example in the US they use skim milk instead of skim milk powder. However, when the recipe was altered slightly for Germany, horrified fans created a backlash and lobbied to stick with the original.
• Nutella has production plants across the world in order to supply their many global customers. These include sites in Warsaw, Ontario and Guanajuato as well as the original Alba location. The Nutella for the UK, as you can find out on Erudus, is made in France – at Ferrero’s plant in Villiers Écalle.
• Nutella contains no artificial colours, preservatives, sweeteners or flavourings.
• Of the 14 major food allergens, Nutella contains Soya and Nuts (Hazelnuts).
• Nutella is suitable for coeliacs.

• Nutella is manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero, and was invented by its founder Pietro Ferrero. He was selling a creamy hazelnut paste dubbed ‘Supercrema Granduja’ (and named after a small Piedmontese peasant character in the Italian Commedia dell’arte) as far back as 1951 in his bakery in Alba – a region famous for its hazelnuts. 
• Pietro’s son Michele revamped and modified this hazelnut paste – renaming it “Nutella”. Jars left the factory for the first time in 1964 and the product was an instant hit. 
• In 2015 a French court blocked a couple from naming their newborn daughter Nutella. 
• Ferrero buys about ¼ of the world’s hazelnut supply every year – they even own the leading supplier. The company has said that 2 years of their hazelnut stocks could fill Rome’s Coliseum. 

• Nutella is always making the news… in June 2019 the media reported on a strike happening at Ferrero’s French facilities – sending fans into a panic about a potential shortage. Then, 2 months later papers were excitedly reporting about 1kg jars of Nutella being sold at Morrison’s for the bargain price of £4. 
• The perfect way to consume Nutella is a dollop in your cup of coffee… that’s according to one man who experimented with eating Nutella at every meal for a week. 
• Nutella has found its way into tons of recipes and products… our new favourite – recently popped up on Erudus – is Nutella-filled mini donuts by La Tua Pasta. 
• Nutella does not need to be refrigerated, since the large amounts of sugar it contains acts as a preserve.