Two rival Italian food companies are in a surprisingly heated battle over chocolate spread

In very important chocolate spread news, market leader Nutella will soon be facing a serious competitor.

Barilla, an Italian company whose blue pasta boxes you probably recognize from supermarket shelves, plans to release a chocolate spread called Crema Pan di Stelle next year, reports Reuters.

The move to compete with Ferrero, the company that makes Nutella, is part of a burgeoning, delicious rivalry between the two Italian companies. The competition really began to heat up when sources said Ferrero would release a biscuit filled with Nutella in 2019, similar to Barilla's established line of cookies, Baiocchi, Reuters reports.

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Barilla will try to get a spoon up on the competition by producing chocolate spread made with sunflower oil. Nutella has faced backlash for using palm oil in its recipe after the ingredient was deemed a "potential health concern," reports CNN.

Barilla's take on the chocolate and hazelnut goodness will feature a crunch, thanks to the addition of Pan di Stelle cookie crumbles, reports Reuters. Crema Pan di Stelle could launch in Italy as early as January, but industry experts say it could cost the company millions of euros to convince stores to display the new spread with the same prominence as Nutella. No word yet on when consumers in the U.S. will be able to try the new spread and help decide who should come out on top in the Italian sweet treat rivalry. Read more at Reuters.