When it comes to junk food, ice cream falls someplace close to the top of that naughty list. Yet, this was not always the case.
The origins of this decadent treat are much healthier.
During the Persian Empire, dating as far back as 500BC, people would take fresh grape juice and pour it over a bowl of snow for a cold treat during hot weather.
Believe it or not, they were able to store snow during the summer months in cold underground chambers known as “yakchal”.
Some credit China as having the first dairy based frozen treat, claiming they were the first to mix rice with sugars and dairy as far back as 200BC.
After slowly making its way to Europe, ice cream remained a treat for the elite and royal for decades and only became accessible to the common folk in the mid-eighteenth century.
Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Now this creamy cold treat is everywhere and comes in flavors by the thousands! But it most certainly comes as a far cry from the simple dairy mixture invented hundreds of years ago.
Most mass manufactured ice creams are rife with artificial coloring and flavoring additives that are nearly impossible to pronounce let alone safe to eat.
Remember the series of Breyer’s Ice Cream commercials from the nineties which featured just that?
This video may help refresh your memory.
It seems the folks over at Unilever, the company which makes Breyer’s, have renewed this campaign and are trying to clean up the label of their classic ice cream.
Unilever plans to transition all of its ice cream products to naturally sourced and hormone free dairy in 2015. This includes brands like Fruttare, Good Humor, Klondike, Magnum, and Popsicle.
Along with sourcing milk and cream from hormone free farmers, the company has plans to use only ethically sourced and sustainable vanilla bean, sugar and cocoa from developing nations.
According to the vice president of brand development at Unilever, the company will make sure their dairy producers sign an affidavit swearing that they do not treat their animals with any artificial growth hormones.
Is that promise enough?
Yes and no. The move towards ethically and naturally sourced ingredients is always good, yet Unilever also makes the popular Ben & Jerry’s brand of ice cream which is packed with sugary syrups and cookies which the company itself acknowledges won’t abide by the same pledge.
Last year, the Ben & Jerry’s brand did a relaunch of a line of flavors made without the use of bioengineered ingredients.
More and more savvy businesses are realizing the marketing power of corporate social responsibility programs.
Some brands have yet to catch on however and the truth about their products are truly shocking.
It would be foolish to think Unilever is making these moves for completely ethical reasons, but whatever the motivation, a push towards transparency in food production is always a step in the right direction.
The best (and safest) bet when it comes to ice cream, is to make your own! Check out this amazing all natural ice cream recipe and skip the packaged stuff.
Sources:
http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/news_home/Business_News/2015/02/Unilever_cleaning_up_ice_cream.aspx?ID=%7B221E84AA-3E88-421C-A7AC-871489E7DE41%7D&cck=1
