Hershey's Battle against Nutella by Creating a Line of Chocolate Spreads

The Hershey Co. is currently battling it out with Nutella by introducing a line of chocolate spreads, including a hazelnut variant that is somewhat similar to the competition, Delaware Online reports.

Hershey's move points to the strong growth in the category. Over the past five years, sales of Nutella in the United States alone have more than tripled to $240.4 million, according to market researcher Euromonitor International. Hershey wants people to try putting the chocolate spread on a variety of food options, saying it's a "snack enhancer" for items such as fruits, biscuits and even pickles.

A spokesman for Hershey noted that the most common uses for chocolate spreads are pairings with fruit. Anna Lingeris claims the brand will feature "the endless" possibilities for its spreads in national TV advertisements set to start airing this month. "People are seeing the permission to try it on carrots and try it on celery," Lingeris said. She also noted that chocolate is "one of America's favorite snacks."

Lingeris also said that Hershey's spreads have been available since early December, although national marketing is just now starting. The spreads come in chocolate flavor, but aren't primarily made out of chocolate. Nutella's ingredients for instance comprise of sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa and skim milk. Adding chocolate spreads can clearly make fruits and vegetables more indulgent snacks, with two tablespoons containing 200 calories, 12 grams of fat and 20 grams of sugar for both Nutella and Hershey brands.