Packaged ice cream sold in the supermarket very often contains problematic additives. An accumulation of substances-up to 15 in the same product-that can be easily avoided by checking the ingredient list on the label.
The nutritional profiles of shelf-stable ice creams in turn deserve attention, as in some cases the saturated fat and sugar contents are really excessive. Too many, for anyone with any concern for health. Our market survey of 20 ice creams.
Packaged ice cream, full of suspicious additives
The sample examined is a small representation of the hundreds of packaged ice creams available in supermarkets. But it is enough to note the extensive use of additives of various kinds.
Some ice cream brands precisely because of contaminated additives have ended up in the ethylene oxide scandal, as we have seen.
Beyond this specific-and unfathomable-risk, without performing blanket checks as has been done in France-three substances deserve special attention, although they are authorized, sometimes with limits on their use.
E471, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids
Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471) are emulsifiers widely used by the food industry. They appear in 13 of the 20 ice creams in the surveyed sample. The latest EFSA opinion (2017) does not report any particular risks associated with their exposure. However, several scientific studies show the ability of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids to alter the balance of the gut microbiota.
The imbalance of the microbiota related to the intakes of these and other emulsifiers in the recalled scientific literature is related to an increased risk of autoimmune diseases (e.g., Crohn’s disease), allergies, inflammatory diseases, metabolic syndrome (increased adiposity), diabetes, and colon cancer (1,2,3,4). And in more general terms, as it turns out, gut dysbiosis ‘unhinges’ the immune system.
E442, ammonium phosphatides
Ammonium phosphatides (E442) are other emulsifiers that are not recommended. The risk stems from the presence of erucic acid, the frequent and prolonged intake of which may present a health risk to children in particular, as they are more exposed.
Animal tests associate its consumption with the occurrence of a cardiac syndrome (myocardial lipidosis). In addition, as with many phosphate-based food additives, E442 is suspected of promoting cardiovascular disease.
The additive is subject a a use limit of 10,000 mg/kg (1%) in cocoa and chocolate products. Based on EFSA’s assessment of an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of phosphates of 40 mg phosphorus per kg body weight. (5)
In the sample, we found E442 in the Algida and Carte d’Or croissant.
E407, carrageenan
Carrageenans are derived from red algae and are widely used by the food industry as thickeners and gelling agents. Upon heating at high temperature or in the presence of high acidity, however, degraded carrageenans may be released.
The scientific literature shows a link between degraded carrageenan intakes and the occurrence of colon cancer. So much so that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified them as a possible carcinogen (Group 2B). Other studies in rats have not confirmed its carcinogenicity. Nevertheless, the European legislator allows its presence up to 5%, in additive E407. (5)
Among the 20 ice cre ams tested, carrageenan is contained in 5 products, of which one (Ben & Jerry’s) has a recall package for children. As well as two ice creams from Carte d’Or, a Carrefour ice cream and Motta’s iconic Grandpa’s Cup.
Saturated fat and excess sugar
The nutritional profile of the ice creams examined is sometimes very unbalanced. The products are quite similar, all based on industrial creams, with ‘less calories’ generally in fruit ice creams.
The variations are significant, as the table of the 20 ice creams under consideration shows:
– Saturated fats range from 2.9% to 13%. Over four times as much.
– sugars range from 13% to 28%, more than double.
Ice cream, additives and natural flavorings (or not)
Our analysis also considers the presence of natural or artificial flavorings, the use of which is sometimes necessary to attribute flavor to ultra-processed foods with raw materials of little value.
Real Italian artisanal ice cream, ça va sans dir, is something else entirely. And that is why our website GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade) has repeatedly called for the establishment of a standard, with voluntary application, to certify its authenticity. Without even needing a newly proposed law, which Big Food will vigorously oppose.
Marta Strinati
Notes
(1) Chronic intestinal inflammation caused by mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids and other emulsifiers may also promote the onset of colon cancer. V. Viennois E, Chassaing B. (2021). Consumption of Select Dietary Emulsifiers Exacerbates the Development of Spontaneous Intestinal Adenoma. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Mar 5;22(5):2602. doi: 10.3390/ijms22052602.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33807577/
(2) Chassaing B, Koren O, Goodrich JK, Poole AC, Srinivasan S, Ley RE, Gewirtz AT. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome. Nature. 2015 Mar 5;519(7541):92-6. doi: 10.1038/nature14232. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25731162/
(3) Lerner A, Matthias T. Changes in intestinal tight junction permeability associated with industrial food additives explain the rising incidence of autoimmune disease. Autoimmun Rev. 2015 Jun;14(6):479-89. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2015.01.009. Epub 2015 Feb 9. PMID: 25676324. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25676324/
(4) Naimi, S., Viennois, E., Gewirtz, A.T. et al. Direct impact of commonly used dietary emulsifiers on human gut microbiota. Microbiome 9, 66 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-020-00996-6
(5) Reg. EC 1333/08, on food additives. Annex II, Part B https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02008R1333-20201223&from=IT#tocId2
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
