For a hike, choose a chocolate ice lolly only if you can keep it at the required storage temperature until you’re ready to eat it. The DGCCRF recommends using a cool bag for a picnic, for example. If you can’t reliably keep it cold, non-frozen chocolate is a better choice for taking with you. In either case, if you’re looking for Fairtrade/Max Havelaar, check the label on the specific product: a different cocoa certification scheme isn’t enough to confirm that it meets the same standard.
You want to choose a product that actually carries the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar label, rather than relying on a general statement about its cocoa. Max Havelaar France recommends looking for the label and, for a product with several ingredients such as an ice lolly, checking the details on the back of the pack.
You’re heading out for several hours with an ordinary rucksack or in warm weather. A non-frozen snack avoids the storage challenge that comes with an ice lolly.
You’re setting off from somewhere with a freezer, or buying your ice lolly shortly before eating it. Check that you can keep it at the temperature stated on the pack while you’re travelling. Then check the label separately if Fairtrade matters to you.
Choose this: if you’ll eat it soon, can keep it at the required temperature while travelling and have confirmed that the product carries the label you’re looking for.
Bear in mind: even with a label, an ice lolly still needs to stay frozen.
Choose this: if you’re going for a walk without a reliable way to keep things cold, after checking the label on the packaging.
Bear in mind: this won’t satisfy a craving for ice cream. Check the storage instructions for your chosen chocolate too.
| Criteria | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of Fairtrade labelling | Look for the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar logo on the exact product. For an ice lolly with several ingredients, check the details on the back about the ingredients and their traceability, as recommended by Max Havelaar France. | I want my chosen ice lolly or chocolate to carry the label I’m looking for, even if that means comparing several packs. This would be a priority for around 46% of consumers. |
| Keeping it cold | Check the storage temperature on the pack and work out how you’ll maintain it until you’re ready to eat the product. The DGCCRF recommends using a cool bag for a picnic. | If I’m walking for several hours without a cool bag, I’d rather take a snack that isn’t frozen. Around 45% of consumers would put this transport requirement first. |
| Available format | Check the specific product you’re planning to buy and its packaging. The fact that ice lolly multipacks are available in a shop doesn’t prove that the one you choose is labelled. | If I’m setting off soon, I first look for a format I can find and take with me on this trip. Around 9% of consumers would put this first. |
A different certification or a general sourcing policy doesn’t prove that a particular ice lolly carries the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar label.
If this label matters to you, look for its logo on the packaging and read the information about the ingredients in an ice lolly made with several ingredients.
Keeping an ice lolly in your bag for a long time could make it impossible to meet its frozen storage requirements. An insulated bag doesn’t remove the need to check that you can keep it at the right temperature throughout your journey.
Follow the temperature guidance on the pack, and only choose the ice lolly if you can keep it at that temperature until you eat it. Otherwise, look for non-frozen chocolate carrying the label you want.
The fact that a retailer stocks ice lollies or other labelled products doesn’t tell you whether the ice lolly you’re holding is certified.
Check the labelling on the specific product you’ve chosen, then read its storage instructions before taking it with you.
Worth considering if you’re specifically looking for a Magnum chocolate ice lolly and are happy with a scheme that’s different from Fairtrade/Max Havelaar.
A retailer where you can compare ice lolly and ice cream bar formats for a trip that allows you to keep them at the right temperature.
Worth considering if you’re looking for a labelled chocolate product, particularly one that isn’t frozen.
Another option for finding a product made with certified cocoa. Check the certification on each product.
Only if you can keep it at the required storage temperature until you’re ready to eat it. The DGCCRF recommends checking the instructions on the pack, keeping transport time to a minimum and taking a cool bag on a picnic. If you can’t reliably keep it cold, choose non-frozen chocolate instead, after checking its label.
Look for the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar label on the packaging of the specific ice lolly you want to buy. Max Havelaar France says that, for a product made with several ingredients, the back of the pack also provides details about the ingredients covered and their traceability.
No. Magnum’s statement that it sources cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms doesn’t confirm that a particular ice lolly carries the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar label. If you’re looking for the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar label, check the packaging of the product in question.