By 
Nutella is undoubtedly one of the world's favorite chocolate treats. It's consumed by the jar-full in not only the U.S. but most of Europe, Australia, and elsewhere around the globe: In 2013 alone, some 800 million pounds were consumed in 160 countries. And with such a massive following comes some very strong opinions on the sweet stuff.
Most recently the argument has even the Food and Drug Administration confused. Is Nutella considered a spread (like peanut butter) or a dessert topping (like hot fudge)? NPR reports that since 1993, the FDA has categorized Nutella under "dessert topping" while its parent company, Ferrero, says Nutella should be lumped in with honey, jam, and fruit butter as a "spread."
But it's not just the term we'd use to classify Nutella that's got people fired up. If Nutella becomes a spread by the government's standards, then its serving size would need to drop from 2 tablespoons to 1. Two tablespoons of the creamy chocolate—whose main ingredients are sugar, palm oil, and cocoa—contains 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, ad 22 grams of carbs.
Meanwhile, editors at Delish are just as divided on this definition. While some argued that it's a spread because "it says so on the bottle" and that "it can be eaten all day long, not just as dessert," our history of recipes (see: Nutella Cool Whip Pie, Nutella Pops, Nutella-Stuffed Brownies) would beg to differ. Most of us admitted eating it with just a spoon or as a late-night treat, but then one editor confusingly argued that it is a "dessert spread." Wait, what? So which is it? Clearly we have no clue.
As a result of this baffling debacle, the FDA is asking for the public's help, offering an open commenting period between now and January 3, 2017. So now's the time to chime in with your opinion on the delicious chocolate-hazelnut, er, stuff.
Follow Delish on Instagram.
