Nutella quietly tweaks formula of chocolate and hazelnut spread

Nutella has sparked outrage amongst its fans after it quietly tweaked the formula of its chocolate and hazelnut spread.

The quantities of powdered skimmed milk increased from 7.5% to 8.7% and the sugar content rose from 55.9% to 56.3%, a German consumer group reported.

Ferrero, who make the spread, said it had made an "adjustment" to the product as many brands regularly do.

The company reportedly said: "The quality ... and all the other characteristics of Nutella remain the same."

But the German consumer group told how the colour of the spread has changed due to the higher milk content, and speculated it was the result of lower chocolate content.

The group said: "As the colour of the new Nutella is lighter, we are working on the assumption that skimmed milk powder was added at the expense of cacao."

Ferrero is not required to disclose the amount of cacao in Nutella.

Nutella's fans took to social media to vent on the change.