Columbia University: Reports of massive Nutella theft 'a smear'

Columbia University’s collective sweet tooth made headlines this week after reports that students stole $5,000 of Nutella every week from dining halls, but the caper may have been a little overblown.

According to The Spectator, Columbia students were taking up to 100 pounds of Nutella each day, at no small expense to the university.

"Students have been filling cups of Nutella to-go in Ferris Booth Commons and taking the full jars out of John Jay, which means we're going through product faster than anticipated," Dining Services executive director Vicki Dunn told The Spectator.

But after an investigation, Columbia officials said the “Nutella-Gate” story had been “a smear.”

The amount stolen is “actually less than one-tenth the purported amount originally reported,” Columbia officials told amNewYork.

The university’s actual Nutella expenses amounted to $2,500 the first week Nutella was offered, then decreased to a weekly $450.

“Ironically, the media attention to 'Nutella-Gate' has cut down on the amount people have been taking in recent days,” the university said.