Food excitement: Knorr and Nutella react to mineral oil allegations

Created: 02/25/2022Updated: 02/25/2022 15:08

By: Victoria Maiwald

Food manufacturers such as Ferrero and Unilever comment on the Foodwatch allegations.

© Tolga Akmen/AFP

Foodwatch found mineral oil in food.

Now manufacturers of Knorr and Nutella are talking.

Dortmund – mineral oil in food – that not only sounds unappetizing, but could also be harmful to your health.

Although Foodwatch has detected the carcinogenic substance in numerous foods, there are no recalls*.

Companies like Unilever and Mars make excuses, reports RUHR24*.

Food Exciters: Mineral oil found in Nutella and Knorr broth

Last year, the non-profit organization Foodwatch examined 152 foods from different European countries.

According to this, every eighth product contained mineral oils (MOAH), including Nutella and broth from Knorr*.

Although some companies have now responded to the allegations, some see the responsibility somewhere else.

There have also been no recalls so far, the contaminated products are still on the shelves of supermarkets and discounters* and can be bought.

This is also due to the fact that there is no zero-tolerance limit for mineral oil in food at European level.

Alnatura does not see the error in itself - Foodwatch reacts harshly

The affected companies themselves have their own explanations for the discovered mineral oil.

Alnatura speaks of an “environmental background load”.

Accordingly, it can hardly be avoided that traces of mineral oil are detected.

The affected chicken bouillon will continue to be sold.

Foodwatch has a clear opinion on this statement: "Lazy excuse." After all, the testers examined numerous products that contained no traces of MOAH.

Mars resells spreads and sees no problems

The Mars company meanwhile sees no problem with their spread "Milky Way cocoa and milk duo crème", which is sold in Austria.

The product remains on the shelves as Mars believes the spread has been thoroughly tested and is safe.

However, the raw materials and finished products were tested by the suppliers.

However, Foodwatch emphasizes that the producer himself (here Mars) has a duty to ensure food safety.

Knorr broth loaded: Unilever blames the packaging

According to Foodwatch, up to 52 mg MOAH per kilo were found in the Knorr bouillon cubes from Unilever.

According to the report, a high-level burden.

Unilever France subsequently conducted its own investigation and now claims the product is safe.

However, the company did not release the results.

So no action is taken.

However, one problem is still addressed: “The basic problem is the production of cardboard from recycled waste paper.

In particular, residues from newspaper printing inks based on mineral oil get into the cardboard via the recycled fibers," Unilever explained to

.

However, Foodwatch points out that other manufacturers are now succeeding in using functioning barriers in packaging.

The competitor's bouillon cubes are "clean".

The Nutella manufacturer Ferrero comments on the Foodwatch allegations.

© Johanna Leguerre/AFP

Nutella manufacturer comments on allegations and conducts its own investigation

Nutella maker Ferrero also did its own research and shared the findings with Foodwatch.

Accordingly, no contamination of the Nutella sample could be detected.

In addition, the company spoke to the

newspaper in favor of specific and clear regulations on mineral oil in food.

Food Association: Mineral oil non-hazardous

The leading association of the German food industry, the Lebensmittelverband Deutschland, meanwhile believes that mineral oils in food are not dangerous.

The association explained to the

: "The legislature would not be satisfied with orientation values ​​and tolerances if dangerous substances were involved."

Foodwatch sees it differently and justifies it with reports from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

They found "that any content of aromatic hydrocarbons in food poses a risk".

Video: Foodwatch warns of carcinogenic substances in popular ice cream flavors

Federal Office: Evaluation not possible - but MOAH should be minimized

The Federal Office for Risk Assessment writes: “Most of these (Editor’s note: MOAH) are a complex mixture of predominantly alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which can also include carcinogenic substances.

A health assessment is not possible due to insufficient data.”

In general, however, such contamination of food is undesirable.

"From the point of view of the BfR, the transfer of mineral oil from recycled paper and cardboard to food and the entry from other sources should be minimized."