Chocolate fans go nuts over Nutella recipe change

Nutella is changing - and fans aren't at all happy with the new recipe.

The company has increased the amount of powdered skimmed milk from 7.5% to 8.7%. Meanwhile, the spread has become sweeter, with the sugar content rising from 55.9% to 56.3%.

See also: Cadbury's brings Dairy Milk production home to the UK

See also: Clever gadget keeps sticky fingers out of your Nutella

The changes were first noticed by German consumer group Hamburg Consumer Protection Centre, which spotted a change in colour and compared the labels of old and new jars.

"As the colour of the new Nutella is lighter, we are working on the assumption that skimmed milk powder was added at the expense of cacao," it says.

And Ferrero, which makes Nutella, has admitted the change. It says that the quality of the spread has remained just as high - but chocolate fans are taking to social media to disagree.

"If the rumors of #Nutella changing their recipe are true, I am boycotting them," writes one; another adds: "Just heard that #Nutella changed their recipe. I mean come on there are things in life you CANT do! And this is one of this things!"

Other posters have expressed surprise that it's actually possible for Nutella to get any sweeter.

Cacao has recently become more expensive, which is presumably the reason for the change. And perhaps it's appropriate: after all, the spread was originally invented to make a small amount of cacao go as far as possible by mixing it with sugar and hazelnut paste.

Over the last year or so, chocolate fans have had to put up with a number of changes to their favourite products as the fall in the pound since the Brexit referendum has pushed up the price of ingredients.

Toblerone bars have shrunk, as have packets of Maltesers and Jaffa Cakes; meanwhile, Cadbury has been accused of changing the recipe of its Dairy Milk bars, although it denies this.

And Ferrero recently came under fire when the Hungarian food safety agency pointed out that the Nutella spread sold in Hungary appeared 'less creamy' than the version sold in Austria.