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

August 26, 2009

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

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.

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Advertisers

Enhance Sustainability. Improve Profitability.

Learn how at the SAP Sustainability Resource Center. >>

Unclear about the EPA's new GHG Rule?

Learn how it could affect your business. >>

EPA mandatory emissions reporting starts Jan 1st

CSA Standards can help your organization get ready for compliance. Find out how. >>

Product Environmental Compliance Best Practices

How to achieve compliance at a significantly lower cost. Download the full report. >>

Join the Discussion

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

Recent Daily News [ see all ]

11/20/2009
11/19/2009
11/18/2009

Charts [ see all ]

European Paper Industry Cuts CO2 Emissions by 42% since 1990

S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks

Nike Tops Annual Climate Action Scores

Oceans May Trap more Carbon than Forests

Jobs

View All Jobs >> Post a Job >>

Comments and Discussions

miggs on European Paper Industry Cuts CO2 Emissions by 42% since 1990
"Yet another example of the potential of combined heat & power to transform..."

Stevenson on News Corp. Taps Hara for Energy Efficiency, Environmental Management
"All of us should think of ways to save energy now. It is not a myth,..."

Trade Association on Trade Group on EPA Chemical Regs: ‘If Everything is a Priority, Then Nothing is a Priority’
"Seriously… that..."

Gary Markowitz on Supermarkets Tackle Emissions Reductions, Fuel Efficiency
"Supermarkets waste over 10 percent of their energy through improper..."

peter in ireland on Ontario May Follow California’s Lead on TV Energy Efficiency
"Governor Schwarzenegger is shooting himself in the foot! 1...."

Environmental Leader on S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks
"The survey respondents (the PDF report mentions 4,000 respondents in 38..."

Jake on UPS Trying New Hydraulic Hybrid Trucks
"A point of clarification: the Reuters press release referenced herein reports that 20 UPS will purchase..."

Environmental Leader