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
Haagen Dazs, Breyers, and Ben & Jerry's ice creams also contain a harmful hormone that is known to cause several forms of cancer.
Recipe for my favorite homemade ice cream:
can't wait for the recipes…the 1st, and only, time I've made ice cream at home it didn't turn out too good. I've been buying the Haagen Dazs 5 ingredient flavors thinking it was a good compromise…sad to learn this because they were DELICIOUS!
Gina, that is what we do!! I whip my cream before adding it to the machine and it never gets rock hard..Its really awesome!
Paul – you are so right. Dessert CAN be delicious and healthy and still a wonderfully sweet treat. No need to ever feel guilty for indulging on occasion! It's the garbage we've been sold a bill of goods on in the supermarkets that have given all sweets, even wholesome desserts a bad rap.
So glad that we've stopped eating commercial ice cream! We just started making our own and it is super tasty.
One trick which someone had posted as a comment on another forum for making ice cream easier to scoop is to partially whip your cream in another bowl and then add to your other ingredients which are already mixed. I tried this on our last batch and it worked great. My hubby definitely noticed the difference!
I make my own 'Ice Cream' with a can of Coconut Milk (the one Sarah recommends). I save the real Jersey cream for the panacotta 🙂
It is indeed a good life – having dessert that is real food.
I had a recipe for ice cream that called for a small amount of vodka to keep the ice cream from getting too hard. Not enough to do any harm, I have never tried it, but for those who don't mind a little alchohol in their dessert, it might not be bad. Maybe a little rum to go with the coconut?
Good point, Magda. Haagen Daaz is potentially the only one I would say might not have propylene glycol in it because it is so hard right out of the freezer BUT it doesn't get icy either like homemade ice cream so maybe it just has less antifreeze in it than other brands. I do still have trouble when I eat it – much less than other brands – but my homemade ice cream gives me no trouble at all.
Nice to see this point mentioned again – I love my Cuisinart ice cream maker, even more so now that I'm mostly dairy free and can make my own coconut milk-based ice creams at home. I have often wondered why, let's say, Haagen-Dazs ice cream is so hard out of the freezer but other ice creams are soft… I buy very little commercial ice cream and I try to stick to pure, simple ice creams.. I hate soft-serve anyway. I may just start making all our ice cream anyway – DH and DS love my coconut milk ice cream!!!
Love your blog,
Magda
Hi Tara, many folks erroneously believe they are lactose intolerant or have "milk allergy" only to find out that they are really just victims of Industrial Food Sickness .. when they get fresh from the farm milk, cream, milk, butter they are FINE.