China's market watchdog looks into Chicecream safety concerns

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China's market watchdog looks into Chicecream safety concerns

A video grab shows a partially melted Chicecream ice cream after it was left out in a temperature of about 25 C for 40 minutes. QIANG JUN Shanghai's market watchdog said on Wednesday it would look into food safety concerns raised by netizens with regards to upmarket Chinese ice cream brand Chicecream, known as Zhong Xue Gao in Chinese.

Concerns about the ice cream melts extremely slowly, raising fears that its ingredients could potentially be harmful.

Chicecream was founded in Shanghai in 2018 as an unreserved Chinese ice cream brand, with the shape of its ice cream resembling a Chinese roof tile.

The Shanghai Administration of Market Supervision has handed the case to related departments because it was aware of the public concerns. The results of the scientific tests on the products are currently in the hands of the company.

The company issued a statement on Wednesday in response to concerns, saying that its ice cream products meet national standards and the additive that impedes the melting of the ice cream, carrageenan, is an extract from red seaweed and has been widely used in other ice creams.

The statement said there were 0.032 grams of carrageenan in a 78 gram Chicecream ice cream, which complies with national safety standards for food additives.

An expert with the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, Zhong Kai told Beijing News that using emulsifiers is normal practice for ice cream makers, as they can slow the melting process and enhance taste.

Chicecream specified the percentages of ingredients used in its product, which includes milk, 35 percent, cream, 19 percent, coconut cream, 11 percent, and sweetened condensed milk, 7 percent.

The company said that it is not a scientific way to judge the quality of an ice cream by heating it. We will cooperate with the authorities and welcome the public and media to investigate this issue and popularize science. The price, which many have complained about, is more expensive than other ice creams stocked in the same location in display freezers due to the quality concerns from consumers.

Marketing expert Zong Ning said that many consumers have picked up the product without realizing its high price tag, and then felt cheated at the checkout.

Haagen-Dazs is expensive, but it is usually sold in a separate display freezer, while Chicecream is mixed with other popsicles in a big fridge, where price labels of each ice cream are hard to distinguish, he said on Sina Weibo.

Market inspectors in Shanghai's Fengxian district said they warned shop owners to make sure their price tags are properly displayed.