In 1984, President Reagan declared July National Ice Cream Month. There's no doubt that people love ice cream, particularly in the United States. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, The United States leads the world in ice cream production, at about 1.6 billion gallons in 2005. U.S. sales reached $21.6 billion in 2005, and over 90% of Americans consume ice cream.
By the same token, sales of organic ice cream grew 55% between 1997 and 2004. As more consumers look for more natural, low calorie alternatives to regular ice cream. It's also a way of ensuring that your ice cream actually contains "cream."
What many consumers may not know is that the whipped ice cream squirted out of a nozzle to make the cones that you buy from an ice cream van, used to contain lard. Today, filling ice cream with commercial vegetable oils is a common practice. The oil palm is a tropical plant now farmed so extensively that, according to Friends Of The Earth, its plantations are "the most significant cause of rainforest loss in Malaysia and Indonesia". The oil is not only cheap to produce, it is also unhealthy. Used in margarines, lipstick and detergents, it is high in saturated fat, a known cause of cardiovascular problems. The only good news is that in desserts labeled "dairy ice cream" vegetable fat is not allowed. But this is not the case with anything labelled simply "ice cream". This can include the soft ice cream sold in parlors, ice cream sandwiches, etc.
All of these vegetable fats and milk-based products are what the industry refers to as "bulking agents" or "fillers" — cheap ways of adding volume but not cost to the ice cream.
Another ingredient? Air. Ice cream is sold by volume, not weight, so a way of making it go further is to whip as much air into the mixture as possible before freezing it into plastic tubs. Emulsifiers such as "diglycerides of fatty acids" prevent the fat and water content from separating. "Stabilizers" are often derived from seaweed. "Freezing" agents could be derived from genetically engineered fish proteins. (For more on this, visit
the Organic Consumers Association article about fish protein in ice cream.
When looking for the best ice cream, why settle for less? Organic ice cream is made from organic milk, real flavoring, and fruits. Fruits like like blueberry and pomegranate are becoming more popular. Companies are also selling ice cream in smaller, 3.5 oz containers to help consumers with portion control. Below are a few popular varieties that are now available in the U.S. Try one for yourself and see.
Alden's organic ice cream
and
Julie's organic ice cream
are created by the same company - the Organic Ice Cream Company and are USDA certified organic. Visit their websites for a list of ingredients, and support companies like this one that try hard to maintain the highest standards of quality with their products.
Green & Black's Organic Ice Cream
Known for its delicious organic chocolate, you can now try their ice cream. Guess what their best flavor is?
A word about Ben & Jerry's and Breyer's organic ice cream brands: while both brands were created in response to the demand for organic ice cream, both are owned by Unilever, a huge conglomerate that produces many other non-organic products. And unlike some brands, Ben & Jerry's and Breyer's come in non-organic varieties (with a few questionable ingredients). Let the consumer beware.
Other ice cream brands will no doubt follow suit. Other organic frozen desserts are in the works. Please stay tuned.
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