Blue Bunny ice cream has been a rebel. When other brands downsized to 56 ounces, they stayed at half a gallon. Subsequently when the industry moved to a 48-ounce container, Blue Bunny didn’t follow. But ultimately, they did conform to the now standard 48-ounce size.
The company also saw other brands in the ice cream business like Breyer’s convert some of their real ice cream flavors to “frozen dairy desserts” — a product no longer allowed by federal law to be called “ice cream” because it has less than the required 10% milkfat. Back in 2016, Blue Bunny told Mouse Print*:
[other brands are] electing to stray from the true definition of ice cream and deliver frozen dairy dessert… the quality of our ice cream has not been ignored, in fact our ice cream is better than ever!
Fast forward a few years and so much for that noble stance. Our friend, the Ingredient Inspector, discovered a very inconspicuous change that Blue Bunny appears to have made three years ago. The words “ice cream” quietly disappeared from most of their 48-ounce containers, and “frozen dairy dessert” appeared next to the net weight.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Even the best of us would not likely spot that change. But how does that wording change translate in the composition of the product?
*MOUSE PRINT:
Instead of milk and cream as the primary ingredients in the real ice cream product, now skim milk and whey powder predominate in the revised version, and they’ve added coconut oil.
I bet that most Blue Bunny customers never realized the product changed, making this an early example of skimpflation.
For more examples of the ingredients changes in Blue Bunny “frozen dairy dessert” please see the detailed story at the Ingredient Inspector.
Blue Bell has remained legitimate.
I like Blue Bell, but I stopped buying it after the “licking” incidents. I have contacted the company several times, asking them to put a seal on their containers. Sadly, they have lost me as a customer until they seal their containers.
Blue Bell is love. Blue Bell is life. Still a half gallon!
I do not buy blue bunny ice cream now frozen dessert, but was wondering if there was an ingredient change in Brighams in 2023? To me the vanilla and chocolate taste a bit different and they taste saltier? It could also be my imagination.
Just checked the ingredients in Brighams chocolate. Corn syrup and other ingredients I cant pronounce. Brighams, a local favorite, has really gone downhill. Thanks for posting about blue bunny. Wonder who makes “honest “ ingredients in their prepackaged ice cream?
This is only related to shrinkflation/skimpflation but I’ve been mentally documenting the cheese it crisis that’s been happening. In 2021, the standard boxes, around 11-12oz per box, have slowly been increasing in price from $2.50-$3 to now $4.99 in my area, and the cheaper 2.50 price is being replaced by a smaller 6-7oz box. This seems to have started this calendar year.
Want something scary?
That from Cerial, Chipc and crakers, All made from basic fruits and veggies.
Avg price to the farmer is $0.03 per pound. And figure that the ingredients, PROBABLY, dont cost Much more then $0.20. The BOX costs more then anything else.
Cooking and processing?
Easy way, figure a basic recipe, and even at your home it dont cost $1 to bake a cake.
The Whole thing probably $1-1.25. In mass production, 3-5 ppl watching the machine work and loading up the materials.
Adding in profits? Cerial at $4 per box? Chips and crackers? $4 per box/bag.
When a Product can go on sale at 1/2 price, YOU KNOW its all profit.
I thought there was a difference in taste, which is why I stopped buying Blue Bunny. I do not like coconut so that may be the reason why.
Argh, HFCS strikes again. I won’t be buying that.
Blue Bunny, purchased by Ferrerro (an Italian company), in Dec. 2022, used to be a company that Iowans could be proud of. Not only are they no longer making ice cream, but they’ve recently dropped their 1.5 qt. and are now 1.43qt., in the same size container. I’ve just purchased my last container of Blue Bunny.
Change recipe and size, and you Pay for the sale, with the savings.
I will pass over Frozen Dairy Desert all the time.
Crappier ingredients mean crappier product.
I pray to the gods Trader Joes continues to sell their 3 ingredients only full 1/2 gallon ice cream!
WOW! NOW with HIGH Fructose Corn Syrup, along with (Regular) Corn Syrup. A HIGH-TEST blend to really get your blood sugar running. All those previous ingredients when it was still “ice cream,” beginning with “…alkali” to the end would have sent me running for dear life. The new version reads like a slow death cocktail.
Thanks for the link to The Ingredient Inspector, Edgar.
And HIGH FRUCTOSE…sad sad sad
Come to Texas and buy Blue Bell Ice Cream. The real stuff. None better.
Link: https://ordericecream.bluebell.com/
I still remember when Blue Bell ice cream killed several people with their unsanitary production line and the management did not notify the authorities of their knowledge of the facts.
Here’s a link to that story from May 2020 (about the listeria outbreak in 2015):
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-bell-sold-ice-cream-tainted-with-listeria-that-killed-3-people/
Surprised that ALL their ice cream is dairy dessert.I believe that Breyers makes both ice cream and dairy desserts.
It is hard to tell from their website. Some varieties may still be “ice cream.”
I have their Natural Vanilla and Natural Strawberry, both are ice cream.
New label positions “Frozen Dairy Dessert” to be covered by the thumb for right-handed people
Have never bought BB, I like to stick to the local ice cream makers, Tillamook or Darigold.
While they’re at it, Blue Bunny should delete the “premium” label.
And I’m guessing that most, if not all, of the BB food products also have the dreaded “contains bioengineered food ingredients” on its packages.
Does anyone else remember those long summer days when Dad would haul out the ice cream maker and Mom would cook up the ingredients on the stove? Then Dad would add ice to the bucket, Mom would add the potion, and all of us would get a turn at cranking the handle. We’d sing campfire songs (without the campfire) and just have a barrel of fun outside, waiting for the minute when Dad would announce it could be eaten. Sometimes we had a 25¢ can of Hershey’s Fudge topping on hand, a real treat, sometimes just the 10¢ can of Hershey’s chocolate, but it was all wonderful. Sigh.
No, I am pretty old (born in the early 50s) & even my grandparents never made ice cream that way. (at least in my lifetime).
I only eat real ice cream with sugar, cream, milk. Refuse to buy HFCS products also.
I’ve been consuming Blue Bunny vanilla ice cream for over 70 years, and just bought two containers of Blue Bunny Vanilla Bean ice cream last week from Walmart. It still say’s “Ice Cream” on the label, and still has a delicious taste and texture.
Turkey Hill Natural or forget about it. No strange ingredients. Their Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, for example, is Nonfat Milk, Cream, Sugar, Vanilla, Vanilla Bean.
I remember decades ago that Breyers had a commercial making fun of all the ice creams with weird ingredients like guar gum. Breyers is just as guilty nowadays.
BJ’S IS DEFINITELY SHRINKING THE SIZE OF THEIR RAISIN BRAN MUFFINS!!!!??????? Previously, when I would buy a box of six raisin bran muffins, they were tightly packed no movement at all in the box. That has now changed! The muffins are definitely smaller, and there’s plenty of room in the box to shake them a prime example of SHRINKFLATION!!!!!!