Pietro Ferrero History. Pietro Ferrero owned a bakery in Alba, an Italian town known for the production of hazelnuts. In 1946, he sold the initial 300-kilogram (660 lb) batch of Pasta Gianduja, derived from Gianduja. Originally sold as a solid block, Ferrero started to sell a creamy version in 1951 as Supercrema gianduja.

"Nutella & GO! has become a special part of so many family routines since launching in 2012, and we are thrilled to introduce a new twist on this favorite." Nutella & GO!

INGREDIENTS. Sugar, palm oil, HAZELNUTS (13%), skimmed MILK powder (8.7%), fat-reduced cocoa (7.4%), emulsifier: lecithin (SOYA), vanillin. Ingredients: WHEAT flour, palm oil, salt, BARLEY malt extract, baker's yeast.

After World War II, cocoa was extremely scarce. Ferrero, originally from Piedmont in Italy, turned this tricky problem into a smart solution, creating a sweet paste made from hazelnuts, sugar and just a little of the rare cocoa. The ancestor of Nutella® was born.

False Advertising Last year Athena Hohenberg, a San Diego mother of a four-year-old girl, filed a class-action lawsuit against Ferrero USA, the makers of Nutella for false advertising. Nutella is a sweet chocolate spread that is full of sugar and palm oil.

The product began life as a solid block called pasta gianduja which could be sliced and served on bread, but later evolved into a spreadable version called Supercrema. The Nutella name came about as a result of combining the English word 'nut' and the Latin suffix for sweet – 'ella'.

Discover the Original Hazelnut Spread

Ingredients. Sugar, Vegetable oil (Palm), Hazelnuts, Skim milk powder, Fat-reduced cocoa powder, Emulsifier (Lecithins)(Soy), Flavouring (Vanillin). Bread sticks: Wheat flour, Vegetable oil (Palm), Salt, Barley malt extract, Baker's yeast. Contains Gluten.

Vegans are strict vegetarians who don't eat meat but also don't eat any animal by-products such as dairy or eggs. Nutella is not vegan because it does contain skim milk powder, which is made from cow's milk.

A riff on pasta gianduja, a chocolate paste invented in Turin during Napoleon's rule (1796-1814, in case you don't have a history book handy) Ferrero's initial creation was something of a chocolate block that could be cut and sandwiched between slices of bread - economical, certainly, but not so appealing.

Last year Athena Hohenberg, a San Diego mother of a four-year-old girl, filed a class-action lawsuit against Ferrero USA, the makers of Nutella for false advertising. Nutella is a sweet chocolate spread that is full of sugar and palm oil.

Why the controversy? One of the key ingredients in Nutella is palm oil, a controversial commodity mainly produced in Malaysia and Indonesia that is celebrated for its crop efficiency and low cost of production but also criticized for its contribution to deforestation and pollution.