The pain of chocolate as French shoppers brawl over Nutella

The Intermarche supermarket chain on Thursday cut the price of a 950g (2 lb) jar of Nutella -- so popular in France that it is often served in bars and cafes -- to 1.41 euros ($1.8) from the usual 4.7 euros.

But shops were confronted with outbursts of violence between customers fighting to get their hands on the product.

"They are like animals. One woman had her hair pulled. An elderly lady took a box on her head. Another had a bloody hand," one customer told the newspaper Le Progres.

The Ferrero company, Nutella's producer, distanced itself from the sticky situation. The decision was entirely one made by Intermarche and Ferrero regretted it, a company statement said.

(Writing by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Richard Lough and Angus MacSwan)