Well, onto the topic of today's discussion though. What does your so-called ice cream container say? Is it labeled ice cream? Light ice cream? Frozen dairy dessert? What's frozen dairy dessert though? Well, it's a dairy product where "there is not enough cream in the product to allow the manufacturer to label the product as ice cream." (Tracy) I searched to find the legal definition of "frozen dairy dessert" within the Code of Federal Regulations but came up with only definitions of ice cream. If anyone can help me sort through the legal jargon and find the definitions within our federal regulations I'd appreciate it.
Legal Definition of Ice Cream
Nova Scotia Definition of Frozen Dairy Dessert
Someone close to me, let's call her Tracy, has worked in the food ingredient/preservatives business for many years. "Food ingredients and preservatives are necessary for food safety and wellness. They inhibit the growth of microorganisms and bacteria that would be harmful to humans should they remain unchecked in food. It is when food ingredients and preservatives are used to manipulate the food for the purpose of cost savings and marketing where I start to alter my purchasing habits."
I remember at a family birthday party she told me that the only ice cream she'll eat is the kind that completely melts into a puddle. "The cheaper the ice cream, the more likely it is to contain stabilizers that hold the ice cream’s shape even as it thaws, to have fillers that provide aeration, products that allow them to reduce the cream levels which gives a cost savings, and then products to counteract the reduction in cream by providing a creamy mouth feel." Creamy mouth feel you say? Is that what I'm purchasing? Enough cream in the container to resemble ice cream but additional ingredients to make my taste buds feel like there's creaminess? That idea makes me feel a little cheated.
My task at hand: to see how ice cream melts.
Now, before I go any further, let me say something upfront. I am not advocating that any of the ingredients to be mentioned in the studied desserts are harmful to one's health. I am not an expert on food safety, preservatives, and other ingredients found in "ice cream." All we will see are my observations and opinions over the melting of various ice cream versions. So, let's see how ice creams melts then.
I went to the store and grabbed an all-natural Harris Teeter container, a "light ice cream" Edy's container, and "frozen dairy dessert" from Breyer's. Yes, I just said Breyer's! I thought of all ice cream brands, Breyer's was the staple of all things natural dairy....so wrong, so disappointed....
I took 4 scoops out of each container and placed them on a plate to melt. Breyer's is left, Edy's is center, and Harris Teeter is on the right. After about an hour and a half, the scoops had melted and I proceeded to take a video. Please excuse my first attempt at making a video. It's not my forte :)
If you have an ice cream container marked "frozen dairy dessert," I dare you to leave it out overnight and see if you like what you see in the morning. I left out my container before tossing it. A friend came over before I could throw it out and she wasn't too thrilled either after seeing what was left.
After searching my nearby grocery stores, I know that Food Lion and Harris Teeter both contain store-brand ice cream flavors that are all-natural. I can read all the ingredients and feel good about what I'm buying. It may cost a dollar more, but if you look for sales sometimes you can find even better deals than buying "brand names." For example, a few weeks ago Harris Teeter ran a "Buy 2, Get 3 Free" deal. Let's just say I stocked up.
Happy ice cream eating!
Extra Creamy Chocolate Nutrtition Facts. 6 September 2012. http://www.breyers.com/product/detail/113847/extra-creamy-chocolate
Slow Churned Chocolate. Nurtional Information. 6 September 2012. http://www.edys.com/SlowChurned/Flavor/2312
Southern Milk Chocolate. Ingredients on Container. 6 September 2012.
Good write-up. I appreciate your breaking down of the three ice creams. I won't be buying any frozen dairy dessert anytime soon. Thank you Mrs. Pharmacist. (you should come up with a blog name :))
ReplyDeleteWhoa, so good to know. It's gross to think about what we could be shoveling down our throats with the "frozen dairy dessert." On a side note: I'm impressed with the presentation! :)
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