Matteo Salvini, head of the right-wing populist Lega in Italy, refuses to eat Nutella anymore. In a campaign appearance on Thursday evening in Ravenna, he said as a reason that the nut nougat cream is not Italian enough. "I've discovered that Nutella uses Turkish nuts, and I'd rather help companies that use Italian products, preferring to eat Italian and help the Italian farmers," said the 46-year-old.
This Friday, Salvini relented and said he was actually "one of the biggest consumers of Nutella and its derivatives all over Italy - whistling on a diet". In a video he linked this commitment with an appeal to "Messrs. Ferrero" and other food manufacturers: "Buy Italian sugar, buy Italian hazelnuts, buy Italian milk."
Italian nuts are not enough
An opinion from the Nutella manufacturer Ferrero is not yet available. According to Italian media reports, the Italian offer of hazelnuts can not meet the needs at all. According to the FAO, Turkey is by far the largest producer and exporter of hazelnuts in the world.
Salvini, Italian Interior Minister by the beginning of September, hopes for new elections in Italy and a return to power. In surveys his Lega is the strongest party. In the region of Emilia-Romagna, to which Ravenna belongs, regional elections take place at the end of January. Salvini relies on a victory of his candidates in this traditionally left stronghold.
At present, a protest movement, the so-called sardines, mobilizes against Salvini with demonstrations in numerous cities. "Now I'm eating bread, salami and two sardines, then I'm even better," joked Salvini on Thursday night.