How true is it that Nutella causes cancer? Several reports over the past few days suggested that the popular chocolate-hazelnut spread comes with a harmful ingredient with carcinogenic properties, even going as far as suggesting the product itself causes the disease. But as a newer report suggests, people need not worry – it’s still fine to consume some Nutella, though the controversial ingredient palm oil isn’t exactly safe, albeit more so for the environment than to our health.
Although the European Food Safety Authority released the findings of its study in May, it was only a few days ago when stories of Nutella allegedly causing cancer, such as this piece from Cosmopolitan, had gone viral. But as The Verge explained, the language used on many of those stories can be misleading, as it isn’t Nutella per se being referred to as cancer-causing. Instead, the EFSA study singles out palm oil as a dangerous ingredient, as it releases potential carcinogens when refined at temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius.
Palm oil is found in several food products, and once refined at those high temperatures, this byproduct of palm tree fruit release glycidyl fatty esters or GE – these are carcinogenic agents that the EFSA claims are released in greater amounts, as compared to when vegetable oils are refined. As GE has been proven to cause rats and mice to develop tumors, the agency considers GE from palm oil as a “potential health concern” to those who consume them in large amounts, especially children who consume infant formula.
Do you know what's in your regular #nutella jar? This might shock you. #sugar https://t.co/8eMvm2j7B7 http://pic.twitter.com/DjQKU87FFj
— I Quit Sugar (@IQuitSugar) January 12, 2017
“The exposure to GE of babies consuming solely infant formula is a particular concern as this is up to ten times what would be considered of low concern for public health,” said Dr. Helle Knutsen, chair of EFSA’s panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM).
Due to the palm oil content in Nutella, claims that it causes cancer were quite commonplace over the past few days, but The Verge further added that people “aren’t rats,” and the tumor-creating properties of GE in palm oil may not manifest in humans like they do in rodents. The publication quoted an EFSA spokesperson, who admitted that there is no scientific proof that GE is definitively linked to cancer in humans.
“Our conclusions are based on available evidence on experimental animals. However, these effects occur with a biological mechanism that is plausible to be relevant for humans.”
With the EFSA report causing some panic in Europe, Italian supermarket chain Coop removed Nutella and other branded products with palm oil as a “precautionary” measure. As a consolation to its customers no longer able to buy the Ferrero-made spread, Coop launched a similar chocolate-hazelnut spread, this time using sunflower oil instead of palm oil. But in a statement, Ferrero purchasing manager Vincenzo Tapella stressed that it wouldn’t be right to replace palm oil, as it would compromise the quality of Nutella as a world-famous brand.
“Making Nutella without palm oil would produce an inferior substitute for the real product, it would be a step backward.”
Ferrero has also maintained that it refines palm oil at temperatures slightly under 200 degrees Celsius, in an effort to minimize GE content.
This article fails to mention one important detail: the original #Nutella recipe had no palm oil, only cocoa butter!https://t.co/ai9CNpHLyD
— Patrick Vernenstrom (@PatrickVernen) January 11, 2017
Apart from the worldwide reforms to crack down on palm oil products, and apart from all the press claims that Nutella causes cancer, The Verge wrote that palm oil poses another kind of risk to people – one that can be felt in our environment, but not as health problems – palm oil plantations have been associated with issues such as air pollution and deforestation, and, according to an Amnesty.org article, child and forced labor.
While Ferrero has always maintained that it uses sustainable plantations as its source for palm oil, environmental advocates have criticized the company in recent years, with France’s ecology minister going as far as to advise people in 2015 to stop eating Nutella unless the ingredients are changed. The company has also been accused of sticking to palm oil as a “business decision,” despite competitors such as Barilla removing the agent from most of its products last year.
Once again, those reports of Nutella causing cancer may have been greatly exaggerated. But the use of palm oil may likely remain a key point of contention, may it be due to its supposed health and environmental risks.
[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
Does Nutella Cause Cancer? It Might Not, But Palm Oil Isn’t Safe Either is an article from: The Inquisitr News
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