Segolene Royal tweets apologies for Nutella spat

(AGI) Paris, June 17 - French Ecology Minister Segolene Royalhas apologised for urging people to boycott Nutella, on thegrounds that it is made from palm oil, the use of which leadsto deforestation. On her Twitter page, Ms Royal offered "athousand apologies" for the Nutella spat, in an attempt to dampdown the controversy that arose after her interview on Canal+.She had called for a ban on eating Nutella, on the grounds thatthe palm oil contained in the product was one of the majordrivers of climate change. Ferrero responded that palm oil wasused because it gives a creamy consistency to the product,avoiding recourse to the hydrogenation process, which wouldcreate dangerous trans-fatty acids. The company also stressedthat its products were made with palm oil from RSPO-certified(Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) plantations. Italy'sEnvironment Minister Gian Luca Galletti described Ms Royal'sremarks as "disturbing", urging her to leave Italian productsalone. Agnese Renzi, wife of Italian President Matteo Renzi,responded by ordering a crepe with Nutella at the company'sconcept bar at Expo Milano 2015. (AGI). .