The objective of the “Nutella tax”, wanted by the rapporteur of the Yves Daudigny commission and author of the amendment, is twofold. It is both environmental and health. Environmental first, because the consumption of palm oil promotes the clearing and destruction of the rainforest in Malaysia and Indonesia. Sanitary then because the fats contained in palm oil are harmful to health.
Palm oil, contained in many industrial products (cookies, cakes, ready meals, spreads) is indeed crammed withsaturated fatty acids not recommended. Dr Laurent Chevallier, consultant doctor in nutrition, attached to the Montpellier University Hospital, explains the dangerousness of these fats : “They promote atherosclerosis, which stiffens the arteries and promotes high blood pressure. The problem is that the food industry uses and abuses it” because it is a very good fatty substance market which gives smoothness to the preparations in various dishes, pastries, pie crusts … “However, tempers our specialist, we must be right. palm that will harm our health. “Only an excess of consumption is harmful. Unfortunately, the current labeling does not provide enough information on the quantities present in food, ”concludes our specialist.
Palm oil: we eat too much
A study published in 2010 revealed that the French consume too much palm oil without knowing it: each person consumes on average 57g of palm oil per month, or nearly 10% of the maximum intake of saturated fatty acid. Difficult to spot, it is often hidden behind the words “vegetable oil” or “vegetable fat”.
For do without palm oil, perhaps it is better to limit industrial products likely to contain it. Which would actually deprive your children of Nutella. Tax or not.
>> To read also: Nutrition: Choosing the right hazelnut spread
