A federal class action lawsuit claims Ferrero USA deceptively advertises its Nutella spread as a “nutritious” and “healthy breakfast,” even though it contains dangerous levels of saturated fat and processed sugars and is "the next best thing to a candy bar."

A San Diego mother filed the Nutella class action lawsuit claiming that she bought the popular hazelnut spread because of its advertisements that show a mother feeding it to “happy, healthy children” and its label that says it’s “nutritious," a “healthy breakfast," and depicts fresh fruits, whole wheat bread and orange juice. This message is also repeated on the Nutella website, which says it “contains quality ingredients, such as skim milk and a hint of cocoa, that moms can serve as part of a balanced breakfast.”

Based on these representations, the mother says, she believed that consuming Nutella was beneficial to her children.

According to the Nutella class action lawsuit, however, Nutella “contains about 70% saturated fat and process sugar by weight. Both these ingredients significantly contribute to America’s alarming increases in childhood obesity, which can lead to life-long health problems.” The class action also claims Nutella contains over 55% processed sugar, which has been shown to cause type-3 diabetes and other serious health problems.

“In short, Nutella is simply not a ‘healthy’ or ‘nutritious’ product to consume,” the class action lawsuit says.

The Nutella class action lawsuit is asking that Ferrero cease marketing its products using these misleading tactics, conduct a corrective advertising campaign, and destroy all misleading and deceptive materials and products. It is also asking that full restitution be given to anybody who purchased a Nutella product in the U.S. on or after January 1, 2000.

A copy of the Nutella Deceptive Advertising Class Action Lawsuit document can be read here.