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August 26, 2009

Ben & Jerry’s May Make Warm Ice Cream to Reduce Emissions

Unilever, maker of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, is pondering how to make an ice cream that is made, shipped and sold warm, with the consumer taking the final step of actually freezing the product.

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Unilever, maker of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, is pondering how to make an ice cream that is made, shipped and sold warm, with the consumer taking the final step of actually freezing the product.

The goal would be to reduce energy and emissions spent on keeping ice cream cold throughout the supply chain, reports TimesOnline.

The company, which sells $7.2 billion in ice cream worldwide under various brands, has its scientists, along with researchers from Cambridge University, hard at work on a solution. So far, the optimal formula is not in sight, however.

Unilever says the main issue is ensuring that ambient ice cream frozen at home will have “the right microstructure to produce a fantastic consumer experience.”

The company already has taken steps to improve energy efficiency at ice cream processing plants in the UK, Germany, Italy and France.

In addition, it is upgrading 2 million refrigerated and frozen cases that it supplies to retailers who sell Unilever products. For instance, about 400,000 of the units are now powered by propane, consuming 15 percent less energy.

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Reader Comments

I had never thought of that before. I now think that any frozen products which need to be transported and stored should be outlawed. So Ice cream, ice cubes, frozen vegetables, frosen pizza, meats, etc. should all be prepared and sold fresh. Otherwise the carbon footprint is just too large. I will not buy any frozen products from now on, and I will begin to exert pressure on my representatives to create laws which forbid these products. Thanks for the article, it’s an eye opener.

Klem | August 26th, 2009

Well said Klem. This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Birkenstock wearing, Prius driving tree huggers coming up with another “solution” to a “crisis” that doesn’t exist. Ben & Jerry lost a customer today.

Pigtown | August 27th, 2009

Klem, this is a good idea when you are buying local foods that are in-season but I don’t think it will help much if you are buying fresh produce that is being shipped from another part of the world. One thing you can do is to buy alot of fresh local produce when it is in-season and then preserve it yourself by freezing or canning it. That’s what I have been learning to do the last couple of years and it has been working great! It’s healthier, better for the environment and it supports my local economy.

Rachel | August 27th, 2009

Warm ice cream? So does this mean that milk and other ingredients that must remain cold will be eliminated? Sounds disgusting so I’m switching to Mayfield.

Ann Smith | August 28th, 2009

Pigtown, why is trying to be environmental so threatening to you?

Papa | October 4th, 2010

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