Fantasy Cone – is it icecream or ice dessert?

New products hit the supermarket shelves on a daily basis. With nearly 20,000 people in the Additive Free Kids community, we have eyes out everywhere. In the private community group we will often talk about new products and what we think of them. Would we buy them? Would we avoid them? Why? One of our gorgeous community members sent me a ripper this week.

This new product was a Coles product – Fantasy cones (Unicorn cones) – Vanilla and Raspberry . There is another similar product called Mermaid Cones – Vanilla and bubblegum. The concern was that parents are being taken advantage of. I would have to agree! I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

These products have on the front of pack label:

“No Artificial Colours or Flavours”

Ignore the front of pack claims

I know I say this all the time. IGNORE the front of pack claims. Always, always, always flip it over. Check out the ingredients.

I know the packaging looks beautiful mums. Hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not more!) would have been spent on making that packaging look amazing.

It is designed to get your attention. It is designed to capture the hearts of every little girl that loves unicorns and mermaids. I know that your girls will LOVE them. I know they look cute. However, do you LOVE the ingredients?

You are being duped. I will explain the reasons why…

I was only able to find the ingredients for the Vanilla & Raspberry Fantasy Cone online.

Ingredient review

Vanilla flavoured ice dessert:

– Reconstituted skimmed milk

– Sugar

– Coconut oil

– Glucose syrup

– Whey powder

– Skim milk powder

– Emulsifiers (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids)

– Stabiliser (Locust bean gum, guar gum

– Natural flavour

– Plant concentrate (Spirulina)

– Natural colour (curcumin)

Raspberry flavoured ice dessert:

– Reconstituted skimmed milk

– Sugar

– Raspberry juice from concentrate

– Coconut oil

– Glucose syrup

– Whey powder

– Skim milk powder

– Emulsifiers (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids)

– Acidity regulators (citric acid)

– Natural flavour

– Stabiliser (Locust bean gum, guar gum)

Wafer cone: – Wheat flour

– Sugar 

– Cocoa powder

– Coconut oil

– Emulsifier (soy lecithins)

– Natural colour (153)

– Salt

– Anticaking agent (magnesium carbonate)

Cocoa coating:

– Coconut oil

– Sugar

– Fat reduced cocoa powder

Can anyone see what is happening here?

I was on the money!  Instead of using cream, milk and other milk products have been used. They are bulked up with gums, flavour and emulsifiers to resemble the real thing.

Why?

Because they think you won’t notice.

Because cream is expensive in comparison.

Mums are pushed for time in the supermarket.

Mums will be distracted with the clever marketing of uni-cones or fantasy-cones.

Kids  will pester.

They think that you will pay more for this product because it has natural colours and flavours. What is the point of using natural colours if you still have all these other additives in the product?

Don’t be fooled!

What ingredients should you find in an icecream?

Cream (first and most important ingredient!),

milk,

egg yolks,

sugar and

vanilla

What ingredients should you find in an ice dessert?

Frozen fruit puree or

fresh fruit juices frozen.

No concentrates, no extracts. 

We need to stick to the basics. Don’t let the marketing machines fool you that this product is any better than any of the other products on the supermarket shelves. 

I wouldn’t touch this.

You can’t expect to buy this product and not have repercussions. Those repercussions might not be in the short term, but they will be in the long term.

Lets take a look at why I say that.

 Emulsifiers

All those emulsifiers are destroying your kids’ gut microbiome. Study after study is being realised highlighting what the emulsifiers, lecithins, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids are doing to us. 

All disease starts in the gut.

Perhaps one ice dessert won’t do it. How many emulsifiers are your kids ingesting every day, every week, every year?

Do you know?

Natural colours aren’t always better

Lets look at the natural colour (153) that was used in this cone. A quick look in the Chemical Maze app will how you that 153 is Carbon blacks or vegetable carbons.

This may be genetically modified.

This colour is usually derived from burnt vegetable matter. It is mildly toxic by ingestion.

Take note of this: it is prohibited in foods for infants.

This should be a warning light to all!

Vegetable carbon can contain carcinogenic substances. This can also result in eczema itching, hives, rashes. Not particularly good for your child’s long term health.

But…..it says Natural Flavours

I know the pack says no artificial flavours. I know the ingredients list NATURAL flavours.

These natural flavours, this one ingredient could have another 50 ingredients behind it. You have no idea what they are. The manufacturers do not need to disclose them to you!

Call Coles, and ask them what is in their natural flavours.  The standard response will most likely be:

“I am sorry, we are unable to divulge that information. That information is intellectual property.”

Natural wholefoods do NOT need intellectual property protection! Please avoid all flavours – whether they are Natural or Artificial.

I could keep going on about this ingredient list….but, the message is very simple and clear.

When you look at the ingredients – are you getting what you pay for?

Is the manufacturer doing the right thing by you and your family?   Or are they interested in profits firs?

Let me know if this review was helpful.

If you would like to chat and be supported by thousands of other Mums and Dads on the additive free journey, come and join the Additive Free Kids email list.  Receive free support directly to your inbox.

Frankie Bell is the Managing Director of Additive Free Kids, a food coach, mentor and is one of Australia’s leading activists against additives in foods.  

Frankie is a mum to 5 boys and has personal experience working through the damaging effects of additives to resolve the multiple health issues and behavioural problems in her own children.  It became Frankie’s purpose to help other families achieve the same improvements for their families. 

These changes can be overwhelming, especially for time poor parents, Frankie has done all the hard work for families to ensure they have access to additive free food, anytime, anywhere.    Additive Free Kids specialises in assisting families to live healthy lives free from additives.  See how you can work together with Frankie here.