You're really spoiling us: has Ferrero been wrongly accused over Nutella?

Industry observers including Greenpeace have defended the confectionery firm on sourcing sustainable palm oil after a French minister urged citizens to stop buying its spread

It is not often that government ministers urge their citizens to boycott a specific product. But that is just what the French environment minister Si(C)goline Royal did with Nutella this week - claiming that the palm oil it is made from contributes to deforestation and does "considerable damage" to the environment.

Cue irritation from the Italian company Ferrero that makes the chocolatey spread and a backlash from Royal's opposite number in Italy. Industry observers including Greenpeace and WWF also leapt to the defence of the company, pointing out that it has in fact led the industry in cleaning up its act and goes much further than most competitors on responsible sourcing of palm oil.