Canadians know when they’re being cheated

Montreal – “Frozen desserts” are not the same as real ice cream. And according to the results of a recent survey, Canadians know the difference.

The Ipsos Reid survey, conducted for the Dairy Farmers of Canada, found that 80 per cent of Canadian consumers feel cheated by companies that appear to be selling real ice cream when they’re not.

Frozen imposters

Yet many grocery stores are carrying the imposters – frozen desserts made mostly with edible vegetable oils that lack the nutrients naturally found in milk.

In fact, say the Dairy Farmers, the oils used in frozen desserts, such as palm kernel oil or coconut oil, are the very same oils consumers are often trying to avoid.

Real ice cream, on the other hand, is made from milk, including ingredients derived from milk and nothing else.

Other findings from the survey include:

• 86 per cent of respondents say they can taste the difference between real ice cream and frozen dessert
• 92 per cent prefer ice cream made from milk.
• 77 per cent believe there is a big difference between the products, when a product is labelled “ice cream” and another is labelled “frozen dessert”
• 63 per cent are aware a product labelled as ice cream must be made from milk or cream.
• 74 per cent prefer a bowl of real ice cream.
• 98 per cent eat most of their real ice cream later in the day
• 55 per cent are confused about the ingredients in ice cream and frozen dessert
• Once people became aware of the difference between ice cream and frozen dessert, the vast majority – 81 per cent – said they would pay more attention to the type of product they are buying
• 16 per cent are swayed to purchase frozen dessert instead of ice cream mainly because they are familiar with the brand on the package.