Nutella & Strawberry Jam

Nutella and strawberry jam are two of the average sweet-toothed student’s most loved spreads. They’re both readily and cheaply available, high in energy, and incredibly sweet, but they’re not exactly renowned for their nutritional value. Acknowledging that neither of them should be a regular fixture in any education catering solution, it does beg the question: which of the two is better?

Nutella is made largely of hazelnuts and known for its sumptuously sweet flavour. Unfortunately, the hazelnuts aren’t enough to earn it a place on our high school catering menus, as much of that flavour comes from significant quantities of sugar and fat that are both present in the spread. The spread also contains palm oil, which has been linked to potential health risks when consumed in large quantities with any consistency. 

On the other hand, while strawberry jam also has an extremely high sugar content – indeed, it’s often mostly sugar by volume – it typically contains less fat than Nutella. The sugar content, though still extremely significant, is often also less than Nutella when compared on a like-for-like per serving basis. Strawberry jam may potentially offer some limited nutritional benefits if it’s made from real fruit as it may then provide some amount of vitamins and antioxidants; however, whatever benefits might be drawn from the small amount of fruit used in the jam’s productions aren’t enough to make it a favourite for food catering for schools. 

For a more detailed breakdown on the nutritional value of and and the differences between the two, click the link below to explore our full nutrition fact sheet.