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Nutella wants out of the FDA’s dessert category

Ferrero says most people put its spread on toast, not ice cream.

Jars of Nutella are displayed on a shelf at a market in San Francisco, California. 
 
Jars of Nutella are displayed on a shelf at a market in San Francisco, California.   
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

When I put peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches in my kids’ lunch today, I didn’t know I was wading into a legal back-and-forth with the government.

The company that makes Nutella wants the Food and Drug Administration to reclassify its oh-so-delicious chocolate hazelnut spread from the “other dessert” category to the one that includes other spreads, like jams and honeys, according to a report from CNN.

The label recommends a serving size of two tablespoons — or 200 calories total. Ferrero, makers of Nutella, hope that the re-classification will lower the recommended serving size and calorie count, encouraging more people to buy the product.

Also, it may help better reflect how people actually use the product these days. A petition filed by Ferrero contains a survey of 700 mothers from 2012. About 60 percent said they put Nutella on toast and sandwiches for their children — not cupcake fillings and ice cream toppings, the top choice for moms in 1991.

But what about the people who like three, maybe four big spoonfuls of it?

 

 

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