10 fast facts to mark World Nutella Day (yes, there is such a thing)!

1. The product that became Nutella was created by an Italian bakery owner called Pietro Ferrero in the 1940s. He decided to try and create a cheaper alternative to chocolate, which, due to the Second World War, was in short supply. It was made by combining hazelnuts, which were easily available locally, and a little cocoa.
2. 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.
3. The Nutella name came about as a result of combining the English word ‘nut’ and the Latin suffix for sweet – ‘ella’.
4. The Nutella name was introduced in 1964, when the product was first introduced to the UK. It now outsells Marmite.
5. For many years, Italian shops would offer children who came in with a slice of bread a free smear of Nutella to put on it.
6. In 2012, French proposals to increase tax increase on palm oil – one of Nutella’s main ingredients – sparked an international row. The amendment became known as the ‘Nutella tax’.
7. At the start of 2015, one jar of Nutella was sold every 2.5 seconds worldwide.
8. In 2013, five tonnes of Nutella worth about 16,000 euros (£13,600) was stolen from a parked van in Germany.
9. You could circle the globe 1.4 times with the amount of Nutella produced in 2013.
10. Nutella is made by Ferrero SpA, which was owned by Michele Ferrero – Pietro Ferrero’s son – until his death in February 2015. He was thought to have been Italy’s richest man, estimated by Forbes to have had a net worth of $26.8 billion. The company also makes Ferrero Rocher chocolates.