Unlabeled propylene glycol, a form of antifreeze, lurks in commercial ice cream, risking health issues for those that consume it.
One thing I try to do on this site is alert folks to the sneaky, underhanded, and frequently toxic chemicals that Big Food processors add to their products.
One of these dirty little secrets is the fact that propylene glycol, a cosmetic form of antifreeze, is added to commercial ice cream. (1)
You see, when you make ice cream at home, you immediately notice that it is as hard as a rock.
This is VERY unlike store ice creams (even the organic ones) that seem to scoop out of the container so conveniently.
Homemade ice cream has to be taken out of the freezer and softened on the counter for a few minutes before you have any hope of scooping some out into a bowl.
I even store mine in a shallow, Pyrex baking dish as this makes it much easier and faster to scoop out when I want some.
Antifreeze, then, is simply ice cream manufacturers’ answer to hard as a rock ice cream and the ice crystals that inevitably form as it is shipped long distances and moved between many different freezers before it finally makes it to your supermarket.
If you’ve ever left homemade ice cream on the counter too long and then put it back in the freezer, you notice how icy it can get.
Antifreeze added to store ice cream helps prevent this from happening!
Why is Antifreeze Not Listed in Ingredients?
Sometimes when I tell folks this for the first time, they have trouble believing it. Why?
Because propylene glycol isn’t listed anywhere on the ice cream label or ingredients list.
While it may come as a shock to some of you, there is such a thing as an “Industry Standard”.
This means that if everyone does it, you don’t have to label it!
For those who need specifics, USDA reg 21 CFR 101.100 deals with labeling exemptions dealing with incidental food additives.
Nice, huh?
Where I grew up, this was called deceit.
Just because commercial ice cream manufacturers make a practice of adding a little bit of antifreeze to their ice cream, then it doesn’t have to be labeled! (2)
What About Organic?
I don’t even trust organic ice cream brands. It is way too easy to scoop out of the container straight from the freezer for my comfort level.
My efforts to confirm this one way or the other were not successful, so at this time, it is only a very strong hunch.
Just to get you a little more hot under the collar, the FDA actually had the gall to grant GRAS status to antifreeze!
What is GRAS? It is an acronym for “Generally Recognized As Safe”.
Well, isn’t that interesting? Antifreeze is safe to eat! You learn something new every day!
Wait a minute! Antifreeze safe to eat, yet a dog would probably die if a car radiator leaks in his owner’s driveway and he laps some of it up?
Ok, ok…I know that the antifreeze used in radiators is ethylene glycol (EG). However, the fact is that propylene glycol (PG) is a closely related chemical.
Studies show that it causes heart, kidney, liver, and central nervous system damage if sufficient quantity is absorbed by the body.
Propylene Glycol Contamination
In addition, depending on the manufacturing process used, propylene glycol may be contaminated with measurable amounts of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies ethylene oxide as a known human carcinogen and 1,4-dioxane as a possible human carcinogen.
Ethylene oxide can also harm the nervous system, and evidence has shown that it may interfere with human development.
Americans eat approximately 5X the ice cream they did 50 years ago. Hence, it is anyone’s guess what the long-term effects of frequent consumption of small amounts of PG might be.
So, ethylene glycol will kill you quickly and propylene glycol will kill you slowly and perhaps painfully. That seems to be the gist of it to me.
Beware of maple syrup too. If it isn’t labeled organic, chances are propylene glycol was used in the production process as well.
Side Effects of Eating Antifreeze
Many people might wonder why whenever you eat commercial ice cream or devour an ice cream cone at the Mall, the next day you might seem to have a very close relationship to the bathroom.
Turns out that a side effect of consuming antifreeze is loose bowels, even diarrhea.
Propylene glycol is even used to clean out the bowel before surgery and for conventional colonoscopy preparation.
It is also a primary ingredient in some over-the-counter constipation meds!
Other Unlabeled Toxins
By the way, there are MANY other chemicals added to commercial ice cream that are toxic and unlabeled.
Piperonal, for example, is used in place of vanilla and is a chemical used to kill head lice.
So, you’re not even safe getting a basic flavor like plain vanilla ice cream! (3)
Watch out for so-called “premium” ice creams like Jack Nicklaus Ice cream. Even the ludicrously named “Homemade Vanilla” has zero vanilla actually in it. You get to pay extra for …. chemicals!
What if the ingredients label lists vanilla?
Does this mean there is no piperonal in there? Not necessarily.
A mixture of piperonal and vanilla could be used with the vanilla listed (to make the customer happy) and the piperonal not listed (to fool the customer and increase profits).
Not surprisingly, piperonal is cheaper to use than vanilla.
Food manufacturers are really good at cat and mouse games and are virtuosos at playing the USDA regulations.
Are Any Brands Safe?
I recently received an email about this post that inquired as to whether ANY brands of commercial ice cream are safe.
My reply was to examine the ice cream brand you like. Is it scoopable very quickly (immediately or within a few minutes) of removing from the freezer?
If so, it almost certainly contains unlabeled propylene glycol. Even organic brands are suspiciously scoopable. But, they can add unlabeled PG too since the FDA inexplicably granted this chemical GRAS status.
I personally have not found ANY brand that is as hard as homemade. This is my test of purity.
The only exception is the locally made ice cream from my grassfed farmer. It is hard as a rock just like the ice cream I make myself.
How to Naturally Soften Ice Cream
So, if you aren’t into eating antifreeze with your ice cream, check out my recipe plus a video demonstration on how to make healthy ice cream!
It uses a very small amount of vodka to keep the ice cream naturally and safely scoopable!
(1, 2) Foods & Drinks With Propylene Glycol
(3) Harmful Chemicals Turn Ice Cream From a Treat to a Threat
Sarah, you are amazing and thank-you for pointing this out. Sorry this may stink up your article about delicious ice cream, but I came across your site while researching Propylene glycol that was a main ingredient in the supposedly all natural deodorants {Tom’s and another purchased from so-called Whole Foods} that I had been using. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that they add this to foods. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge, because with food that is not eaten everyday the symptoms may not be noticed but the damage is cumulative. This IS one of the most toxic poisonous ingredient among others that these immoral crooks are adding to everything that we are dependent upon and things that we enjoy (no wonder depression is so common}. It causes liver damage as stated on the first website I came across, ironically a government website. I had been having an unusually bad odor from my sweat, much worse than the typical bad odor from eating meats and other food. Finally, after halting the use of the 2 deodorants with main ingredient of PG, my sweat odor is gone and I don’t need to use any deodorant; although it took a while to completely subside. I suspected the deodorant from the start, but Initially I thought it was sweat mixed with fragrance, since it wasn’t an antiperspirant, so I bought another brand with a different scent, but same results. Also, it didn’t make sense because the odor wasn’t limited to just my underarms. This PG shit was permeating my entire body. I want to warn all who are intelligent enough to know that anything to do with profits = deception. We can all be fooled, even the most stringent skeptics but we won’t be fooled for long, if we keep sharing our experiences and research.
Wow…i cant believe this. This probably dates back to when the first ice cream parlor opened in New York, 1776. They must have used the anti-freeze from the horse carriages. There would be NO WAY for our forefathers to enjoy the classic American treat without anti-freeze.
You obviously don’t know how to make ice cream…
I’ve been making homemade batches ice cream, gelato, sherbet, sorbet, for 10+ years.
It’s really not hard to make smooth, creamy, scoop-able ice cream. It’s all about making a stabilized mixture/custard.
3 main ingredients:
-milk
-Cream (a fat. Ever put olive oil in the freezer?? Try it, you can’t freeze oils)
-sugar (ever dissolve lots of sugar in water? Or cream?)
Properly mixing these 3 ingredients into a harmonious stable balance, will create a viscous liquid, that when churned properly, will create microscopic ice crystals, resulting in a creamy, soft ice cream/Gelato.
THINK about it. Try freezing cream, with lots of frozen sugar. You’ll be able to scoop it, without churning. These thick sugary cream molecules don’t freeze Into a block of ice. Because its not water, and its not ice. They each have a very unique freezing process and act COMPLETELY different.
Not to mention there are many other natural “stabilizers” to ensure your ice cream comes out smoother than store bought. Xantham gum, guar gum ( can find these at your local health foods store). Also depending how much air is added into your ice cream will determine its final texture. Or using a recipe with egg yolks (which allows for the proteins from the yolk to Create a natural stabilizer in the ice cream.
Propylene glycol is antifreeze. Antifreeze is a chemical that lowers the freezing point of a water-based liquid. Examples of chemicals used as antifreeze in engines are methanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and glycerol. AMSOIL makes an engine antifreeze anyone can buy from propylene glycol that it promotes as being biodegradable and as having low toxicitiy for pets, children, & wildlife.
Propylene glycol is an approved additive to dog food (a little PG doesn’t kill dogs). I’m allergic to propylene glycol, as tested by an allergist, and have to be careful about reading labels on products and foods. There are many chemicals that are related to proplene glycol and allergists give people that have PG allergy a long list of chemicals to look for on labels.
As far as ice cream is concerned, do we really need to eat ice cream at all? It’s not beneficial for humans to eat cow’s cream or sugar. If you try to make it healthier, it really isn’t ice cream and it probably isn’t really healthy. I live in hot, hot, hot Arizona and when I start craving something ice cream like I blend up some frozen blueberries, cherries, or pineapple with a little 100% juice to make a sorbet like treat.
The reason store bought ice cream isn’t hard is because they inject air into it. Unlike all the un-sourced claims here, this is obvious when you let it melt (which releases the tiny air bubbles) and refreeze it, it because as hard as a rock.
Because ice cream is sold by volume (pint/quart) the more air they add, the less product in the container. Some are so brazen what you can physically feel the weight differences.
I have no doubt about about companies and food additives shenanigans, but this article is complete non-sense. Propylene glycol is not the same as ethylene glycol as suggested, one is a very toxic to humans, the other is not. It’s like stating methyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is the same as ethyl alcohol (grain alcohol) are the same, when in fact one is very toxic to humans and the other is considered a social lubricant and consumed by for centuries.
IOW, if ice cream contained ethylene glycol, which is the inference, regular consumers of ice cream would die. It’s a coveted poison because it’s undetectable, orderless, tasteless, and very small quantities are lethal.
Not that is matters, because there is not one lick of proof that it’s actually a chemical found in ice cream, just the authors belief it is without disclosing as to how that conclusion was reached. No lab report, no expert opinions, nothing but the authors belief, which when you consider the rest of the ‘conclusions’ is highly suspect.
Hey! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any points or suggestions? Thank you
Pure ignorance.