Is Hershey's new chocolate hazelnut spread better than Nutella? (2024)

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 21:49 BST, 17 January 2014 | Updated: 21:49 BST, 17 January 2014

Nutella has dominated the chocolate hazelnut spread market since 1964, but the Hersey Co, America's favorite chocolate maker, is intent on changing that.

After it announced on Wednesday that it is introducing a line of chocolate spreads, including a hazelnut variety reminiscent of Nutella, which is made by the Italian company Ferre, FEMAIL was unsure how Hersey would hold up.

And despite near identical ingredients between the two competitive spreads, the overall assertion was unnamious: Hershey's 'lacks the intensity of flavor that Nutella provides,' as Sadie Whitelocks explained, giving it a four out of ten.

Tamara Abrama agreed, saying: 'There’s actually not much in it, in terms of flavor – the Nutella tastes a little creamier and richer, which I prefer.'

Hershey wants people to try putting the chocolate spread on a variety of foods, saying in a statement that it's a 'snack enhancer' for items such as graham crackers, strawberries, pineapples and even pickles.

Anna Lingeris, a Hershey spokeswoman, noted that the most common uses for chocolate spreads are pairings with fruit. But she says Hershey will feature the 'endless possibilities' for its spreads in national TV ads set to start airing on Monday.

As for Nutella, fans use it in a variety of ways, with some even saying they just eat it straight out of the jar, a sentiment echoed by Miss Abraham.

'What does put me off the Hershey version is the texture. It’s not quite as glossy and smooth, and a tad looser than the Nutella. Perhaps that’s better for spreading, but when eating with a spoon from the jar, Nutella wins hands down,' she said.

Mari Oko, who said that Hershey's chocolate hazelnut spread lacked a 'deep flavor,' thought it tasted 'as if the spread has a lot of food fillers in it, making its quality ingredients very ineffective.'

Indeed, while Hershey's spreads have chocolate flavor, they aren't primarily chocolate; using cocoa processed with alkali as the fifth ingredient.

Nutella's ingredients include sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa and skim milk, in that order.

Adding chocolate spreads clearly make fruits and vegetables more indulgent snacks, with two tablespoons containing about 200 calories, 12 grams of fat and 20 grams of sugar for both the Nutella and Hershey varieties.

But as Chris Lawrence noted: 'I liked it. But then I like Nutella. And why would I buy Nutella if it's not Nutella?'