Weekly Tidbit
July 30, 2026
Dennis is in Paris this week, where temperatures are at or near record levels of 95-100 deg.F (35-38 deg C). It's anecdotal, but everybody and their uncle and aunts seem to be having ice-cream(s). Ice-cream producers are sure to be seeing a spike in consumption of stabilizers such as guar, locust bean gum and, to a lesser degree, tara gum and carrageenan. Increased orders to hydrocolloid producers are sure to follow.
Sadly, what may be good for guar and LBG etc. is not good overall. Severe heat warnings are in effect in several EU countries, accompanied by drastic fires in the souther region(s) of Europe.
In this heat, anywhere even the sidewalk is good for cooling down with an ice-cream.
Claude.ai agrees with my gut feel, pun intended, that ice-cream is a bad way to try and cool down.
Ice-cream leads to a sugar spike and feeling of slugishness.
What's best.... plain water. Tap water perfectly fine.
After so many years, browsing supermarket aisles has become an ingrained habit.
There is continued confirmation that food producers prefer, by far, to list the specific hydrocolloid name, rather than indicate it's an E-Number. Such is the consumer wariness and suspicions of any label bearing an E-Number.
A new label claim, to Dennis at least, for an ice-cream: "Rain Forest Alliance Certified".
Stabilizers, Guar, LBG. Notably no carrageenan or tara gum. Rain Forest Alliance in the ingredient listing?
Notice it's gum arabic still and not gum acacia.
We checked the opinion of these two phone apps on the Froneri/Nestle ice cream cone depicted in the photos above.
RED DOT. Score of 3/100. Contains EIGHT Risky additives (Mono & Di Glycerides, which are categorized as Texturizing agents!!!)
LBG, Guar, Acacia, Pectin are all listed as "Limited Risk"
Only lecithins and citric acid receive the coveted green dot "Risk Free"
Guar described as "when used in moderation...is considered safe with no known adverse health effects.
Pectin: .... recognized as safe...
Generally more information with links for further detail, e.g., Wikipedia.
Notably focuses on "Ultra processing markers, " which is high. Every additive is considered a marker.
Low environmental impact.
Low Nutritional quality
This app comes up with no less than 45 ingredients, but includes potential contaminants such as allergens and trace elements eg eggs, gluten, mustard, nuts etc.
