For an individual snack, choose a mini chocolate-coated ice cream stick if you fancy a small chocolatey treat, a sorbet or water ice lolly for a fruity flavour, or an assortment for several snacks. Check the amount per lolly, the sugars and the allergens in your chosen recipe: fruity doesn’t mean ‘sugar-free’. Remember to get frozen products back into the freezer promptly, too.
If you want to serve a single chocolate-coated ice cream stick, check the amount per stick rather than relying on the word ‘mini’. Carrefour and Auchan, for example, list boxes of six Magnum mini sticks, with different total weights depending on the product.
Sorbets and water ice lollies are a refreshing choice when you fancy fruit. The recipe matters just as much as the flavour: the Oasis products listed by Carrefour and Fruity Mix listed by Auchan contain sugar or glucose syrup.
An assortment lets you plan for several portions and sometimes several flavours. Before choosing a box, check how many ice lollies it contains, which flavours are included and how much freezer space you have.
Start by choosing the type of frozen dessert and portion size, then check the ingredients and storage requirements.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Small chocolatey portion | Number of ice lollies and amount per stick; nutritional information per portion, if shown on the packaging. | I want a creamy, chocolate-coated stick without serving a large ice cream. This is the top priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Fruity flavours and ingredients | Ingredients list, the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g or 100 ml, and the amount per ice lolly. | For a fruity snack, I want to know what’s actually in the recipe rather than relying on the flavour alone. Around 30% of consumers would put this need first. |
| Number of portions | Number of ice lollies, flavours included in the box and available freezer space. | When several people are having a snack, I want enough portions and flavours everyone will enjoy. This would be the top concern for around 20% of consumers. |
| Allergens and storage | Ingredients and ‘may contain’ information for the exact product; whether you can keep the frozen products frozen during the journey home. | If I need to consider an allergen or a long journey home with the shopping, these factors come before flavour. They would be the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
The ingredients lists for the Oasis and Auchan Bio products mentioned by Carrefour and Auchan include sugar or glucose syrup. So the flavour alone doesn’t tell you what’s in the product.
Read the ingredients and compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g or 100 ml, then check the amount in one ice lolly.
A new recipe or a different coating can change the ingredients and possible traces information, even within the same brand.
Check the packaging of the exact product you’re going to serve, including any ‘may contain’ information.
Two boxes with the same number of ice lollies may contain different amounts per stick and different flavours.
Compare the number of ice lollies, total amount and flavours in the assortment together.
Your journey home is part of choosing a frozen product. Anses recommends picking up frozen foods at the end of your shop and keeping interruptions to the cold chain to a minimum.
Take an insulated bag, head home promptly and don’t refreeze a product that has thawed.
Chocolate-coated mini ice cream sticks for anyone looking for an individual portion of this kind.
Ranges of ice cream sticks to compare by recipe and pack size.
A range that includes ice cream sticks in fruity flavours.
An assortment of ice lolly sticks to consider when you need several portions.
These products include water ice lollies, a sorbet, a melon ice bar and a chocolate-coated mini stick. Start by choosing the recipe and portion you’re interested in, then check the label on the exact product.
Image unavailable
For sharing orange- and cherry-flavoured water ice lollies across several snack times.
Before serving, check the amount per piece and allergen information on the box.
Image unavailable
For offering a choice of water ice lolly flavours across several snack times.
If you’re comparing portions or nutritional values by flavour, check the basis for the calculation and the amount per ice lolly on the packaging.
Image unavailable
For choosing coconut-flavoured sorbet on a stick in a box of four portions.
Don’t assume what’s in the product from the ‘100%’ claim in the original title: read the full ingredients and allergen information on the packaging.
Image unavailable
For serving melon-flavoured ice bars in 70 ml portions.
Check the ingredients and warnings on the packaging, especially if these bars are for children.
Image unavailable
For a snack with a chocolate-coated mini ice cream stick in a stated 55 ml portion.
Check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information for this product rather than relying on information for another Magnum mini stick.
Compare their nutritional values on the same basis, per 100 g or 100 ml, then check how much each ice lolly weighs or contains. The DGCCRF explains that this makes products easier to compare; nutritional information per portion can also help when it’s shown on the packaging.
No. The Oasis products listed by Carrefour and Fruity Mix listed by Auchan contain sugar or glucose syrup. For any other product, check its own ingredients and ‘of which sugars’ information.
Read the ingredients list and any information about possible traces on the exact box. The DGCCRF reminds shoppers that allergens in the ingredients must be highlighted on the labels of prepacked foods. Don’t rely on information for a different flavour in the same range.
Pick up frozen products at the end of your shop and keep their journey time to a minimum, as Anses recommends. An insulated bag can help you plan the journey; don’t refreeze a product that has thawed.