A dark chocolate ice lolly could make a suitable snack around your workout if you can keep it chilled until you eat it. It is not suitable for spending several hours in an ordinary gym bag. The Anses recommends using an insulated bag and keeping transport time to a minimum. Then check the chocolate content, pack size and allergens of the lolly you choose.
An ice lolly could be an option for a snack around your workout, provided you can keep it chilled during transport or eat it soon after buying it. For the journey, the Anses recommends using an insulated bag and keeping transport time to a minimum.
If the taste of cocoa matters more to you than the word ‘dark’ on the pack, check which part of the lolly contains dark chocolate. For example, Carrefour’s listing for Magnum Intense Dark states that its coating contains 70% cocoa; this percentage does not apply to the ice cream as a whole.
A dark chocolate coating does not tell you what the ice cream contains. The Magnum Intense Dark and Ferrero Rondnoir products listed by Carrefour and Auchan contain milk and soya. Check the ingredients and on-pack information for the product you buy.
If you’re choosing an ice lolly for a snack around your workout, first decide how you’ll keep it chilled. Then compare the recipe and pack size, and check the label if there are ingredients you need to avoid.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping it chilled | Use an insulated bag or cool box, and keep the journey as short as possible before eating it or putting it back in the freezer, following the Anses’ advice. | If I leave the gym with an ice lolly, I don’t want to leave it in my bag until I get home; around 42% of consumers would make keeping it cold their priority. |
| Dark chocolate and pack size | Check whether the dark chocolate is in the coating or the ice cream, then look at the number of lollies and the quantity stated on the box. | For an individual snack, I look for a lolly with a recipe that suits my dark chocolate craving; around 33% of consumers would put this need first. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list, highlighted allergens and any ‘may contain’ statements on the box you buy. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, the word ‘dark’ isn’t enough to help me choose; around 25% of consumers would make the ingredients their top priority. |
An ordinary gym bag won’t keep a frozen product cold. The Anses recommends using an insulated bag for transport and keeping the journey as short as possible.
Plan your snack for soon after you buy it, or take an insulated bag and make sure you can get it into a freezer quickly. Otherwise, choose a snack that doesn’t need to be kept chilled.
Carrefour’s listing for Magnum Intense Dark and Auchan’s listing for Ferrero Rondnoir both mention milk and soya, as well as other possible allergens depending on the product.
Read the ingredients and precautionary statements on the box you pick up in store, even if you already know the product name.
The Mucci dark chocolate ice cream listed by Aldi comes in a tub, so it isn’t suitable as an individual lolly to take with you after transporting it.
If you want an ice lolly for a snack around your workout, compare multipacks of lollies and their storage requirements. Save the tub for when you have access to a freezer.
According to Carrefour’s listing for Magnum Intense Dark, this lolly combines milk chocolate ice cream with a dark chocolate coating stated to contain 70% cocoa.
Auchan’s listing for Rondnoir describes a box of four cocoa ice lollies with a dark chocolate coating.
Aldi’s listing features Mucci dark chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate pieces, sold in a tub.
These two Joybuy products are dark chocolate ice lollies to consider for an individual snack only if you can keep them chilled during transport and until you eat them. The second combines fruit sorbet with a dark chocolate coating, so it is not an all-chocolate ice cream.
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These lollies make an individual dark chocolate snack, provided you keep them chilled until you eat them.
The box contains four lollies, weighing 312 g in total. Check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging you buy.
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These mini lollies are a good choice for an individual snack if you’re looking for a combination of fruit sorbet and dark chocolate and can keep them chilled during transport.
The box contains six pieces, weighing 282 g in total. If the intensity of the cocoa is important to you, check the exact ingredients on the packaging and look out for allergen information too.
Not in an ordinary bag: an ice lolly is a frozen product. The Anses recommends using an insulated bag and keeping transport time to a minimum. If you can’t keep it chilled, choose a snack that doesn’t need this precaution.
No. Carrefour’s listing for Magnum Intense Dark and Auchan’s listing for Ferrero Rondnoir mention milk and soya, as well as the possible presence of other allergens depending on the product. Check the information on the box you actually buy.
Check the ingredients to see which part of the lolly contains dark chocolate, then look at the allergens, quantity and storage instructions. The DGCCRF reminds shoppers that allergens must be highlighted in the information provided for prepacked food.
Pick them up at the end of your shop to minimise the time they spend out of the freezer. Carry them in an insulated bag, as recommended by the Anses, and put them back in the freezer promptly if you’re not eating them straight away.