Safety is our top priority

Nutty, oily fight: Nutella has launched an advertising campaign to assure the public about the safety of the chocolate-hazelnut spread, which relies on palm oil for its smooth texture and shelf life.

THE palm oil industry is regularly confronted by misinformation which is then absorbed by the media and churned into a frenzy of inaccurate news articles and opinion pieces, designed ostensibly to inform and educate but achieving neither objective. Unfortunately, every so often, such misinformed frenzy is unsupported by facts. The recent hype on Nutella and the quoted cancer health concerns about palm oil is a classic case in point.

First let us, the Malaysian palm oil industry, take the opportunity to congratulate Ferrero SpA Italy, manufacturers of Nutella, the chocolate spread millions of people have grown up with, on their 70th anniversary celebrations. We would especially like to congratulate Ferrero for their bold move in stating to the world that their premier product depends on Malaysian palm oil for its taste, quality and consumer acceptance.