If you fancy something sweet in the morning, choose a single ice lolly as an occasional part of breakfast rather than a meal in itself. Whether you’re considering a fruit-flavoured water ice lolly, a mini portion or a chocolate-coated ice cream, first compare the amount you’ll actually eat, then check the sugars, fat, ingredients and allergens for the specific product.
You’re mainly looking for the taste of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. If you have one for breakfast, its individual portion doesn’t mean it replaces the other foods in your meal: Manger Bouger, for example, recommends choosing whole fruit rather than fruit juice.
You want to compare what’s in the lolly you’ll actually eat. A smaller size or a fruit-flavoured recipe might catch your eye, but the name and apparent size alone don’t tell you how much sugar or fat each one contains.
You’ll need to consider how many lollies there are and which recipes are in the box. Check the ingredients and precautionary allergen statements for each product, especially if someone in your household needs to avoid certain allergens.
First decide how the ice lolly fits into your breakfast, then compare the nutritional information for the portion you’ll eat. Finally, check the ingredients, allergens and storage instructions. A fruit lolly, a mini lolly and a chocolate-coated ice cream won’t necessarily suit the same needs.
| What to consider | What to check | Who might find this useful? |
|---|---|---|
| Its place in your meal | Think about what you’ll eat or drink alongside the ice lolly, depending on how hungry you are. Don’t judge your whole breakfast by the ice lolly’s label alone. | If I want an ice lolly in the morning, I’d rather leave room for a piece of whole fruit or some wholemeal bread than make it my entire meal. Around 40% of consumers would put this kind of breakfast combination first. |
| Sugars and portion size | Compare the sugars and fat on the same basis, then work out the values for the lolly you’ll eat if its weight or volume is given. | To choose between a fruit lolly and a chocolate-coated one, I need to know what’s in my portion, rather than relying on the flavour alone. Around 30% of consumers would prioritise checking the values per lolly. |
| Allergens and multipacks | Read the ingredients and any “may contain” statements for each recipe. Also check the number of lollies and the storage instructions. | When I buy a multipack for several people, I need to be able to spot ingredients to avoid and store all the lollies correctly. Around 30% of consumers would put these household considerations first. |
The individual format helps you keep track of what you’re having, but it says nothing about the rest of your meal. Manger Bouger, for example, recommends choosing whole fruit rather than fruit juice.
If you have an ice lolly in the morning, think separately about what else you’d like to eat and drink, depending on how hungry you are.
The fruit-flavoured water ice lolly listed by Auchan contains 18 g of sugars per 100 g, although it has less than 0.5 g of fat per 100 g. So a low fat content doesn’t tell you how much sugar it contains.
Check both figures on the label and, if you’re comparing different sizes, calculate them for the portion you’ll eat.
Depending on the product, the lollies listed by Carrefour and Auchan mention milk, tree nuts or traces of other allergens. A fruit flavour or an assorted box doesn’t tell you what’s in each individual lolly.
Check the ingredients list and any precautionary allergen statements on the exact pack, especially if it contains several different recipes.
A multipack contains several lollies that need to stay frozen after you’ve done your shopping. Anses advises buying frozen food at the end of your shop and using an insulated bag to carry it home.
Before choosing the pack size, make sure you’ll be able to transport and store the lollies according to the instructions on the packaging.
These brands and retailers offer examples of different types of ice lolly. Check the details of the specific product you’re considering.
Worth a look if you’re after a chocolate-coated ice cream and want to compare the portion size of a specific recipe.
The SIMPL, Classic' and Carrefour Extra ranges let you compare several ice lolly recipes from the same retailer.
An option to compare a fruit-flavoured water ice lolly with ice cream and chocolate-coated recipes.
Worth considering if you’re looking for multipacks, including options in the retailer’s ranges.
A retailer to check for Bon Gelati products in the type of ice lolly you’re looking for.
Worth a look if a pack of MUCCI® lollies is the format you’re after.
These boxes contain fruit- or melon-flavoured ice lollies, as well as vanilla ice creams with chocolate or cocoa. For breakfast, first choose the recipe and size of the individual lolly, then check the label on the specific product before comparing portions.
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A fruit ice lolly option if you prefer this recipe to vanilla ice cream with a chocolate coating. The box contains 12 lollies and weighs 444 g.
The product still contains sugar. Traces of gluten, peanuts, soya, milk and tree nuts are listed. Check the statements on the box if these are relevant to you.
Store at −18 °C or below; do not refreeze once thawed.
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For anyone looking for vanilla ice cream coated in chocolate and topped with almonds. The box contains 8 bars and weighs 600 g.
Contains milk and almonds; other tree nuts may be present as traces. If you’re using the values listed for a 75 g portion, check the packaging to make sure that matches the bar you eat.
Store at −18 °C or below.
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A box of 4 vanilla, milk chocolate and hazelnut ice cream bars, weighing 260 g. A good fit if this combination of flavours is your main priority.
Contains milk, hazelnuts and soya; traces of other tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, gluten and eggs are listed. To work out the values given per 100 g for one bar, check the weight of each one.
Store at −18 °C; do not refreeze once thawed.
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For a melon-flavoured frozen treat, this box contains 8 bars of 70 ml each. As it’s made with milk, it shouldn’t be confused with a fruit-flavoured water ice lolly.
Contains milk and the colour E102; the product information includes a warning about children’s activity and attention. Work out the values per 70 ml bar before comparing the figures given per 100 ml.
Store at −18 °C or below; do not refreeze once thawed.
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A box of 6 vanilla ice cream bars with cocoa sauce, weighing 270 g, if you’re looking for this recipe in individual portions.
Contains milk; traces of tree nuts, peanuts, eggs and soya are listed. Check the weight of each bar to interpret the nutritional values given per 100 g.
Store at −18 °C or below; do not refreeze once thawed.
It’s better to treat it as part of your meal rather than a complete breakfast in itself. To round out your breakfast, Manger Bouger, for example, recommends choosing whole fruit rather than fruit juice. Choose other foods and a drink to suit your appetite.
Compare specific products on the same basis. The fruit-flavoured water ice lolly listed by Auchan contains less than 0.5 g of fat per 100 g, compared with 16 g per 100 g for SIMPL vanilla and chocolate and 19 g per 100 g for Carrefour Extra vanilla and chocolate, according to Carrefour. The Auchan lolly also contains 18 g of sugars per 100 g, so fat isn’t the only thing to consider.
Start with the ingredients list, allergens, net quantity and nutritional information, then check which portion the values refer to. The DGCCRF lists these among the details required on prepacked food labels in France. If a box has a Nutri-Score, it doesn’t replace checking the portion size and ingredients.
First find the weight of the lolly. Without it, values per 100 g don’t tell you directly what’s in the portion you’ll eat. Also check the units used on the label: values per 100 ml can’t be compared directly with values per 100 g.
Pick them up at the end of your shop and carry them home in an insulated bag, as Anses advises for frozen food. Once home, follow the storage temperature and instructions on the box you’ve bought. The products reviewed state that they should be stored at −18 °C and warn against refreezing once thawed.