evidence: Nutella Has Now Been Linked to Cancer—Here’s What You Need to Know According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), foods that contain palm oil—an ingredient manufacturers rely on for smooth texture and a long shelf life—could potentially pose a cancer risk. If that wasn’t bad enough news, our longtime favorite spread, Nutella, has been facing the most public repercussion as this controversial ingredient is listed as the third most prominent (tied only with sunflower oil) on the back of every jar. [...] Although the statistics are against them, Ferrero, Nutella’s manufacturer, isn’t going down without a fight. It has recently launched a new advertising campaign focusing on these claims directly, insisting it uses palm oil in a way that is not dangerous—supposedly, it combines a temperature of just below 200 degrees Celsius and extremely low pressure to minimize contaminants—and explaining that without this key ingredient, the spread we’ve all come to love wouldn’t be the same. What it doesn’t mention, however, is the cost factor behind the decision: Because palm oil is the cheapest oil on the market, an ingredient swap would easily cost the manufacturer an extra $8 to 22 million each year, Reuters reports.