WHAT'S IN BEN & JERRY'S?
BEN & JERRY’S ICE CREAM >> was once Closest To Homemade® . . . not anymore.
Information updated July 2023
Ben & Jerry’s was created decades ago by two friends in Vermont and today is owned by UK-based global giant, Unilever.
THEN vs. NOW: Once upon a time, Ben & Jerry’s was homemade and then it expanded to be made commercially on a small local scale. The original ice cream cartons included a statement from Ben & Jerry which noted, “We never use any filers or artificial ingredients of any kind” >> see Historical Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough package — below left.
Now, Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough — below right — contains commercial ingredients which are not found in homemade ice cream >> Expeller Pressed Soybean Oil, Water is in the 3rd ingredient and is the 4th ingredient, two Thickening Agents and Natural Flavor. (Source for this and all Ben & Jerry’s ingredients: Unilever Ben & Jerry’s Web site 7/23)
Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough costs $3.99 at Hannaford.
So, what happened? How did a brand committed to not using fillers or artificial ingredients end up using Commercial Oils, Commercial Flavors, Water, Thickening Agents, Chemical Preservatives and Emulsifying Agents?
Upon its acquisition in 2000, Unilever stated they would preserve Ben & Jerry’s brand integrity and product quality . . . then they removed ‘All Natural’ from Ben & Jerry’s Product Mission. (Source: Unilever Ben & Jerry’s Web site 5/17 and 7/23)
When it was acquired by Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s Product Mission statement included ‘all natural’ . . . not anymore. The only change to the Product Mission was the removal of ‘All Natural’.
‘All Natural’ was also eliminated from the brand logo.
Once Unilever was in control, the promise of “All Natural’ — which was part of Ben & Jerry’s Brand Core — was abandoned.
Here’s an example where we can see the evolution of the brand from two guys making all natural ice cream to being owned by one of the largest companies in the world.
SPEAKING OF CHERRY GARCIA . . . Let’s see what’s inside the Cherry Garcia line of products.
Q: Why is Water the first ingredient in Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt? And then Unilever adds three Thickening Agents. Ditto the Non-Dairy Frozen Yogurt where the Almond Milk is primarily Water.
Unilever stated, “Since the acquisition, not much has changed with Ben and Jerry’s” . . . but many Ben & Jerry’s products now contain multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen™ when making homemade ice cream.
Below left, the Coconut Seven Layer Bar Ice Cream contains Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil and Soybean Oil plus 3 Thickening Agents and Corn Starch.
The Strawberry Topped Tart variety — below right — contains multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen including Citric Acid which is an FDA-recognized Chemical Preservative in a class with Sodium Nitrite. (Source: U.S. FDA 2023)
ICE CREAM and SORBET COMPARISONS: Following are two comparisons of Ben & Jerry’s to products which are Closest To Homemade >> they contain ingredients which are closest to those we would use at home to make the item.
During our annual update to this post we noticed the Black FAIRTRADE Mark is gone from several Ben & Jerry’s products. This Black FAIRTRADE Mark signifies that all the ingredients that are available as Fairtrade are Fairtrade certified. (Sources: Unilever Ben & Jerry’s Web site 7/22 and 7/23; FAIRTRADE Web site 7/23)
BEN & JERRY’S LICENSED PRODUCTS: Below is a snapshot of what’s Not In Kitchen in a couple of the licensed Ben & Jerry’s Ice Creams >> ingredients we’re paying for which don’t need to be there:
And we leave you with a look at what’s inside three of the classic Ben & Jerry’s flavors:
During our annual update we noticed this change in Ben & Jerry’s ingredients:
See what’s in Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy Ice Cream and find out which Chocolate Ice Creams are Closest To Homemade:
See what’s in Strawberry Ice Creams and discover a couple which are Closest To Homemade:
Discover products which are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.
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