Are you hesitating between a sorbet stick, a cone or an ultra-gourmet ice cream? When it’s hot, we’re quick to stock the freezer with this frozen comfort. But the choice is not trivial. In its survey of 70 ice creams and sorbets sold in supermarkets, 60 Million consumers pointed to compositions that are often very long, lots of sugar and sometimes significant quantities of saturated fatty acids. Fortunately, some references fare significantly better than others.
Red fruit sorbets, the good students
This is the main good surprise of the test. Red fruit sticks in sorbet form get the best results. Some references display a particularly simple composition, with only three or four ingredients and few, if any, additives.
The magazine notably distinguishes Biocoop’s Naïce sorbets and certain Picard references, which are among the best rated.
Picard’s red fruit sorbet stick notably obtained 18/20 in the test.
The right reflex: When you want fruit ice cream, it is better to choose a sorbet with a short list of ingredients and which contains a significant quantity of fruit.
Be careful of very sweet “red fruit” ice creams
On the other hand, the word “fruit” on the packaging is not enough to guarantee an interesting ice cream.
In the red fruit cone category, sugar levels skyrocket. A single cone can represent between a quarter and almost half of the recommended 50g of sugars per day.
The composition can also be very long. The Nestlé Extreme Lemon-Raspberry Cone has 32 ingredients, including many sweetening ingredients. Avoid!
Vanilla-strawberry cones and vanilla sticks should be limited
Another disappointment: none of the vanilla-strawberry cones analyzed reached the average. They generally contain between 12 and 20 g of sugars per cone and several references are rich in saturated fatty acids. The composition record goes to the Thiriet vanilla-strawberry cone, with 33 ingredients and 11 additives.
The high number of ingredients is explained in particular by the presence of several preparations in the same product: ice cream, sorbet, biscuit, chocolate, fruit sauce and decoration.
Same observation for vanilla sticks: no reference scores above the average and all obtain a Nutri-Score E according to the calculations carried out in the study.
Some are particularly rich in saturated fatty acids. A single Milka or Carrefour stick represents approximately half of the recommended daily intake of saturated fatty acids.
And the chocolate cones?
Are you more team chocolate? Good news, they fare a little better than the vanilla-strawberry cones. Some references contain fewer sweetening ingredients and fewer additives.
The Picard chocolate cone comes first in this category.
But certain references remain very rich in sugar: the sweetest products in the category, notably from U, Nestlé Extrême and Carrefour, contain around a third of sugar.
Confectionery-style ice creams: the least interesting
Finally, Kinder, Raffaello, Mars… and other ice creams inspired by confectioneries also bring up the rear.
Some contain up to a third of their weight in sugar, or up to 45 to 60% of the recommended daily intake in a single ice cream. These products also have several ingredients: more than 23 on average in this category.
They are therefore part of the ice creams to be reserved for “occasional pleasure”.
4 products highlighted by 60 million consumers
But don’t give up frozen pleasures! In its essay, the magazine selected several references which stand out for their composition and nutritional qualities:
- Solero Strawberry Twist – in the category of red fruit sorbet sticks.
- Picard “The Strawberry-Watermelon Passionate” – a particularly well-rated sorbet stick, with a short composition.
- U cone blackcurrant red fruits – the choice chosen by the magazine among the red fruit cones.
- Adélie chocolate cone from Intermarché – the reference highlighted in the chocolate cone category.
Beyond the brand or the perfume, 60 Millions de consommateurs implicitly advises looking at the list of ingredients and the nutritional table. In general, the shorter the list, the better the ice cream purchased.
Another tip: compare prices per kilo and not just the price of the box. Some industrial ice creams are highly foamed, that is to say that a significant quantity of air is incorporated into the preparation. A liter of industrial ice cream can therefore weigh around 500 g, compared to around 850 g for artisanal ice cream.
Finally, remember that ice cream is a pleasure that must remain occasional. To enjoy it without too much excess, it is better to choose from time to time a short recipe, rich in fruit and less loaded with sugar and additives, rather than an ice cream which combines biscuits, chocolate, sauce, topping and confectionery.
The details of the survey can be discovered in the magazine of 60 million consumers.