These two low-cost spreads rival the leading brand according to 60 million consumers!

In its special issue of November 2023, the 60 million magazine looked at what the low-cost products offered by distributors are really worth. It includes an analysis of raw products such as sugar, flour or salt, but also ultra-processed products such as hazelnut spread.

Even if it’s not really a surprise, all the spreads in this panel are classified E by the Nutri-Score. In terms of price per kilo, it ranges from simple to double between the low-cost distributor brands and the leading national brand Nutella. With such a gap, we can expect the quality of the composition to be higher, however this is not particularly the case as the comparison of 60 million demonstrates.

Even if manufacturers try to make us believe that the spreads are rich in cocoa or hazelnuts, it is sugar which represents 50% of the composition of the recipes tested by the magazine. For Carrefour’s Simpl spread, the percentage even reaches 66%!

And as a second ingredient, we find oil! Without it, it is impossible to obtain this much appreciated creamy texture. All the spreads tested contain palm oil, known for its harmful impact on deforestation but also for health because of its intake of saturated fatty acids which can be responsible for an increase in bad cholesterol levels. We must therefore keep in mind that the spread remains a treat in the same way as candy and should not be an everyday food for both children and adults.

Hazelnut powder is the most expensive ingredient in the spread. We could therefore expect that Nutella, the leading national brand, would contain more than low-cost references. However, this is not always the case, if certain references contain barely 2 to 5% as is the case for the Simpl from Carrefour or the Pouce from Auchan, others on the other hand have an equivalent rate in Nutella.

Like the leading brand, the reference €co+ de E. Leclerc contains 13%. But the one that really stands out It’s the Choco nussa from LIDL, it also has a 13% hazelnut content but also has Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa. These two products are also 2 times cheaper.