Blue Bell ranks among ice cream brands with lowest quality ingredients (2024)

Blue Bell is the third largest ice cream company in the country

Mary Claire Patton, Digital Journalist

Apparently, not everybody screams for Blue Bell ice cream — the beloved Texas staple has been called out for using low-quality ingredients.

Eat This, Not That, a publication focused on food, nutrition and health, recently compiled a list of nine ice cream brands that use the lowest quality ingredients and Blue Bell came in at No. 9.

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Ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, cellulose gum and vegetable gums in the Homemade Vanilla flavor were listed as reasons for the low score.

Other Blue Bell flavors add in modified food starch, artificial colors, mono and diglycerides, and more, according to the publication.

This isn’t the first time Blue Bell made headlines in the last year for some less-than-desirable press.

Mashed named Blue Bell ice cream the worst store-bought brand after nearly 20% of people surveyed cited it as their least favorite option.

The thing is — Mashed didn’t reveal how many people it surveyed and where the survey was taken. There’s a possibility the respondents had never even tried Blue Bell ice cream, but their methodology remains a mystery.

Despite some not-so-stellar headlines about ingredients, and of course that deadly listeria outbreak in 2015 that cost the company $19 million, Blue Bell still remains one of the most popular ice cream companies in the U.S.

It’s the third largest ice cream company in the country. Only Ben & Jerry’s and private label ice cream sales beat out Blue Bell, according to Zippia.

So what’s up with the ingredients Blue Bell got dinged for?

  • High Fructose Corn Syrup - High-fructose corn syrup is a common sweetener in sodas and fruit-flavored drinks, according to Mayo Clinic. It’s chemically similar to table sugar but Mayo Clinic states that there is currently insufficient evidence to say that high-fructose corn syrup is any less healthy than other types of sweeteners.

  • Cellulose Gum - This is essentially a thickening agent and it’s used in an array of food products. According to Healthline, it comes from the cell walls of plants like wood pulp and cottonseeds. It’s considered a safe food additive but may cause you to experience loose bowel movements.

  • Vegetable Gum - Persistence Market Research states that vegetable gums are used as thickeners in food products. They don’t alter flavor, taste, color or texture and are obtained from certain modified food starches. Side effects of eating too much of these gums are abdominal bloating and gas.

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Blue Bell ranks among ice cream brands with lowest quality ingredients (2024)

FAQs

Blue Bell ranks among ice cream brands with lowest quality ingredients? ›

Eat This, Not That, a publication focused on food, nutrition and health, recently compiled a list of nine ice cream brands that use the lowest quality ingredients and Blue Bell came in at No. 9.

Does Blue Bell contain bioengineered ingredients? ›

Ingredients. Milk, cream, sugar, skim milk, black walnuts, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, natural flavor, cellulose gum, vegetable gums (guar, carrageenan, carob bean), annatto color, caramel color. Contains Bioengineered Food Ingredients.

Does Blue Bell ice cream use high fructose corn syrup? ›

Ingredients. Milk, cream, sugar, skim milk, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, eggs, natural and artificial vanilla flavor, stabilizers (cellulose gum, guar gum, carrageenan, carob bean gum), annatto color.

Does blue bell ice cream contain carrageenan? ›

Ingredients. Milk, cream, sugar, skim milk, high fructose corn syrup, natural and artificial vanilla flavor, cellulose gum, vegetable gums (guar, carrageenan, carob bean), salt, annatto color.

What ice cream has no bioengineered food ingredients? ›

Straus Family Creamery meets the gold standard for clean labels, with both USDA Organic Certification and the Non-GMO Project Butterfly. The whole production model relies on a comprehensive sustainability plan, prioritizing soil health and resource conservation.

Is Blue Bell quality ice cream? ›

Blue Bell ranks among ice cream brands with lowest quality ingredients. HOUSTON – Blue Bell, the third largest ice cream company in the country, is being called out for using low-quality ingredients in its ice creams, according to KSAT News.

Is Blue Bell ice cream unhealthy? ›

Eat This, Not That, a publication focused on food, nutrition and health, recently compiled a list of nine ice cream brands that use the lowest quality ingredients and Blue Bell came in at No. 9.

Which ice cream is best for health? ›

Gelato (also the Italian word for ice cream) is usually considered a healthier option than soft serve and hard ice cream. The refreshing dessert is specifically made with a higher proportion of milk to cream, creating less fat than traditional ice cream, says Mary Sabat, a nutritionist and owner of BodyDesigns by Mary.

When did Blue Bell start using high-fructose corn syrup? ›

By 2015, Blue Bell wasn't a luxury product anymore, and it wasn't so pure either—high-fructose corn syrup had become part of the recipe, and maybe the factories could be just a little bit cleaner. But it was right there behind Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs.

What is the most unhealthy brand of ice cream? ›

25 Unhealthiest Ice Creams—Ranked by Sugar Content
  • Blue Bunny Super Chunky Cookie Dough.
  • Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy.
  • Blue Bell Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla.
  • Häagen-Dazs Dulce De Leche Churro.
  • Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby.
  • Häagen-Dazs Bourbon Praline.
  • Ben & Jerry's Fudge Brownie.
  • Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey.
May 6, 2024

What is the heart healthiest ice cream? ›

In its heart-healthy food guidelines, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends choosing fat free or low fat ice cream with no more than 3 grams (g) of fat per 1/2 cup serving. However, people should also be aware of their sugar intake with these types of ice cream.

What is Blue Bells' best seller? ›

Homemade Vanilla

The brand has been making this flavor since 1969 and it remains Blue Bell's bestseller.

What did Blue Bell get recalled for? ›

Subsequent tests confirmed Listeria contamination in a product made at another Blue Bell facility in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, which resulted in a second recall announcement on March 23, 2015. Additional positive test results ultimately led Blue Bell to recall all ice cream products in April 2015.

Why was Blue Bell ice cream taken off the market? ›

Blue Belle Creameries was involved in a listeria outbreak

This was serious considering the fact that listeria can be especially harmful to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, infants, the elderly, and others with weak immune systems. Unfortunately, Blue Bell didn't act as promptly as expected.

What food companies do not use bioengineered food ingredients? ›

Additionally, many supermarkets now have private label organic brands to choose from, and a few notable chains have removed GMO ingredients from some or all of their non-organic private label products: Whole Foods Market and 365 brands are non-GMO and all of Trader Joe's store brand products are Non-GMO!

What products have bioengineered food ingredients? ›

Many GMO crops are used to make ingredients that Americans eat such as cornstarch, corn syrup, corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, or granulated sugar. A few fresh fruit and vegetables are available in GMO varieties, including potatoes, summer squash, apples, papayas, and pink pineapples.

What candy has bioengineered ingredients? ›

Here is a list of candy that is known to contain GMOs – GM sugars.
  • Reeses.
  • Hershey's.
  • M&Ms.
  • Snickers.
  • TWIX.
  • KitKat.
  • Skittles.
  • Baby Ruth.

What does it mean when a package says contains bioengineered food ingredients? ›

The Standard defines bioengineered foods as those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through in vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) techniques and for which the modification could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature.

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