John Myers
When the advertisement promises ice cream “from our own production”, one often expects more fresh food ingredients and fewer additives such as stabilizers, emulsifiers, flavors. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
The essentials in brief:
- Terms such as “from our own production” and “homemade” are not binding for ice cream. Ice cream parlors can advertise with it and still mix ready-made powder or enrich a delivered basic ice cream.
- Unfortunately, if you value quality, you have to ask.
- Whether self-made or industrially produced: the guidelines for ice cream specify minimum requirements for certain designations such as “fruit ice cream”, “cream ice cream” or “vanilla ice cream”, but these are not legally binding.
When the temperatures rise and beads of sweat stand on your forehead, it’s high season for the ice cream parlors. Anyone who values quality often prefers ice cream offers that are advertised with information such as “own production” or “homemade”. The expectation: fewer additives such as stabilizers, emulsifiers or flavorings and more fresh food ingredients than with prepackaged ice cream from the supermarket. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
Advertising references such as “own production” are not legally regulated
There is no legal definition of “homemade” or “homemade” advertising. What comes across as “homemade” can be of very different quality. The possibilities range from mixing a ready-made powder to enriching a ready-to-use basic ice cream mass with additional ingredients such as fruit, nuts or chocolate to the artisanal production of ice cream from the ingredients required.
If it says “own production”, it does not automatically mean that the ice cream parlor is made fresh from milk, cream, sugar, fruit and spices.
In Hesse, the local consumer advice center asked the responsible food inspectors. The answer: There, mixing ice powder on site is sufficient for advertising with “own production” or “homemade”. In addition to an accurate designation of the type of ice cream, only the reference to allergens and individual additives, for example “with coloring” for the labeling on the ice cream container is required.
We demand transparency in references to ice cream production
The customer cannot tell whether the ice cream on offer was really freshly made in the ice cream parlor or was produced in another company. If ice cream parlor owners have their ice cream range already completely prepared, bottled and decorated with suitable food on the surface depending on the type, this ice cream looks like it was freshly made on site. If they also advertise with information such as “from their own production”, they confirm this impression and, in our opinion, fool customers.
Statements such as “homemade” or “from our own production” should therefore be defined by law so that buyers can clearly recognize differences in artisanal production. Ice cream lovers should also be able to find out about the ingredients, including all additives.
If you value original taste, natural ingredients and fresh production, you have to ask where the ice cream comes from and what ingredients are in it.
These terms at least provide a first orientation
Whether self-made or industrially manufactured: The guidelines for ice cream of the German Food Code specify minimum requirements for certain designations:
- Cream ice cream contains at least 50 percent milk and at least 270 g whole egg or 90 g egg yolk per liter of milk and no additional water.
- Cream ice cream contains at least 18 percent milk fat from the cream (cream) used in its manufacture.
- Milk ice cream contains at least 70 percent milk.
- Ice cream contains at least 10 percent fat derived from milk.
- Fruit ice cream must contain at least 20 percent fruit.
- Fruit ice cream contains at least 8 percent of the fat derived from milk and a clearly perceptible fruit flavor.
- “(Fruit) sorbet” must not contain any milk or milk components. The fruit content is usually at least 25 percent (except for citrus fruits, other very acidic fruits, or fruits with a very intense flavor or a dense texture such as mango, passion fruit, or guava).
If, on the other hand, the packaging only says “ice cream” , the product may also contain vegetable fat, mostly coconut fat. This is cheaper for the manufacturers and of lower quality than milk fats.
The guiding principles also address some individual types of ice cream. For example, a manufacturer who puts bits of chocolate on the packaging of their “chocolate ice cream” should include chocolate, not just cocoa, in the ice cream mass. This also applies to “vanilla ice cream” for which the manufacturer claims “vanilla” or depicts vanilla blossoms or pods on the pack. Here the taste should come exclusively from ground vanilla beans, vanilla extract and/or natural vanilla flavoring. “Vanilla-flavored ice cream,” on the other hand, indicates the use of artificial vanillin.
With all of this, however, it is important to know that these guiding principles are voluntary goals . A market check of the food safety project in 2018 showed that not all manufacturers adhere to these minimum standards. In the case of chocolate, vanilla and strawberries, consumer advocates found numerous products that did not meet the guidelines for ice cream.
If you want to be absolutely sure what the ice cream contains, you have to study the small printed lists of ingredients in the supermarket. In the ice cream parlor, on the other hand, in addition to an appropriate designation, only a reference to allergens and individual additives, for example “with coloring”, must be on the ice cream container. There is no obligation to provide information on ingredients.
