this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2024
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From the United States Code of Federal Regulations:
It continues on in that fashion, but if I'm honest I see this as the system working correctly. The food in that carton likely doesn't meet the legal, technical definition of ice cream and thus cannot be labeled as such, and it isn't. There are things that are labelled as ice cream in Europe which cannot be labelled as such here because they don't conform to the above standards. But if you were served a scoop of it and asked what it was, you would confidently identify it as ice cream.
I'll tell you what does bother me though: The front of the package and a marketing blurb on their website refers to it as vanilla, strawberry and blueberry flavored, but the ingredients are listed as:
Vanilla and blueberries are not listed among the ingredients. I'm guessing whatever wood pulp derived vanillin that most of the vanilla flavored things in the world are actually flavored by is included in the "natural flavor" and we're left to guess where any "bold blueberry deliciousness" is supposed to come from.
I've long thought they shouldn't be allowed to put "natural flavor" as an ingredient as that is too vague, what if there is a "natural flavor" you are allergic to? What if that "natural flavor" is cat smegma?
The blueberry and vanilla flavors are included in the "natural flavors" listing. The FDA defines natural flavors as those that are made by extracting/distilling the flavor from an actual food. It doesn't have blueberries or vanilla; it has the flavor from blueberries and vanilla in the form of blueberry and vanilla extracts.
Artificial flavors are those synthesized in a lab without ever using the original food item.
Yeah, which actual food? People have allergies to actual foods.
Let's say they derive a blueberry-like flavor from grapes because grapes are cheaper or something. I think that's a reasonable thing to allow them to do, grapes are food, they're fruit, "we made one fruit flavor out of another fruit" okay fine. But what if you're allergic to grapes but not blueberries? It should say on the label that this is made from grapes.
"Turns out the blueberry flavored snack that doesn't say the word 'grape' anywhere on the package has grapes in it" is a great reason to visit the ER.
If they're allowed to use basically any ingredient they want and call it "natural flavor" why aren't they just allowed to put the word "substance" in the ingredients list?
It says natural blueberry, vanilla and strawberry flavors on the top of the package. You don't get natural blueberry, vanilla or strawberry flavor from grapes. You get them from blueberries, vanilla, and strawberries. If you derived a blueberry flavor from a grape, it would count as an artificial flavor.
I'd be more concerned about "and other natural flavors" that aren't even mentioned anywhere.
But The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act says if the natural or artificial flavor contains any of the 8 most common food allergens, it must be labeled.
Well I mean, apparently there are "strawberries" in it. And "beet juice (for color)". Breyers themselves have used their ingredients list in their marketing, "Just milk, cream, sugar and fruit." If they just mashed up some berries they'd be proud to list that. So some laboratory grade shit has taken place.
If I'm being charitable, which having slept reasonably well last night I'm prone to being, I'll acknowledge that blueberry juice is reddish purple and not blue, so to get the proper French tricolor they probably had to render it colorless somehow and then color it with something else, which is why "strawberries" are listed but "blueberries" aren't.
I'm still not buying the cold dessert cow-related edible substance though.
I don't think it requires "actual food" sources. "Natural" strawberry flavour used to be made from beaver anal glands, which I doubt anybody would consider food.
I think you mean beaver anal scrapings and not cat smegma... But the point is valid.
There out of the top five ingredients are different kinds of sugar. I love how companies try to hide how much sugar is in their prices foods.
That's fine, thanks. I'm not allergic to cat smegma.
What are the standards for labeling something 'Ice-cream' in Europe?
Here's the actual list of ingredients. https://smartlabel.unileverusa.com/077567003539-0001-en-US/index.html#ingredients It does have milk, but no blueberries.
I'd be kind of annoyed if it wasn't cat smegma for my cat smegma ice cream.
I think natural flavors have to be related to the name on the product - a small amount natural grape juice in apple juice to modify the flavor would be listed as an artificial ingredient.
I recall that used to be true, but don't have a good way to verify it ever was other than reading the labelling laws, or if it still is, since companies fight a constant battle to degrade the usefulness of food labels.