The new line (MSRP $4.99) – which is sweetened with cane sugar and will debut at the Winter Fancy Food Show this week – responds to customer requests for a guilt-free product that delivers a creamier mouthfeel, but retains a clean label, CEO Amit Pandhi told FoodNavigator-USA.
“When we created the original Arctic Zero in 2010 [which is now in around 18,000 stores], it was really focused on a niche group of consumers, diabetics, people with dietary restrictions, it was lactose-free and low calorie and low fat, low glycemic, and many of the lines are also gluten free – and people really love it.
“But we were also getting feedback from some consumers that didn’t have dietary restrictions that it didn’t have the satisfying taste and texture of ice cream. So we took a hard look in the mirror and asked if we could meet their needs without compromising our commitment to clean ingredients – which you don’t see with other light ice creams in this space.”
Blind taste tests
He added: “Indulgence used to be a vice and people would feel guilty about eating certain foods, but really now people are watching calories less. They want to feel good, they want something that tastes great and doesn’t make them feel bad mentally or emotionally. This is a light ice cream, so it has a lot less fat than regular ice cream, but it tastes absolutely incredible.
“We went out and did three blind taste tests and compared our products to all the other low calorie ice creams and they outperformed all of the others in six out of the seven flavors, and then we went back and worked on the seventh to make sure that it outperformed as well. We even compared it with premium ice cream - Ben and Jerry’s and Dreyer's - and our light ice cream outperformed in terms of taste.”
Ingredients list (vanilla bean): Skim milk, cane sugar, prebiotic fiber, cream, whey protein concentrate, acacia gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, natural flavors, sea salt, ground vanilla beans.
I don’t think people are buying ice cream because they want more protein
Unlike the original line of lactose-free Arctic Zero ‘fit frozen desserts,’ which have slightly more protein (from whey protein concentrate) and fiber (primarily from chicory root and sugarcane fiber), and are sweetened with cane sugar and monk fruit concentrate, the new line does not contain meaningful levels of protein, said Pandhi.
“Our light ice cream pints only have 2-3g of protein whereas a lot of the others have really gone big on protein which most Americans already get enough of,” added Pandhi, who said the line was designed to create incremental business for Arctic Zero by reaching out to a new customer segment.
“If you look at indulgence, it’s really about taste. I don’t think people are buying ice cream because they want more protein. Too much protein can make products chalky.”
As for sweeteners, he claimed, “Most low-calorie ice cream pints on the market are sweetened with sugar alcohols such as erythritol … sweeteners that have been known to cause cotton mouth, dry mouth, gastrointestinal distress.
“It’s like those late night ads you see for drugs where you have to list all these side effects. We didn’t want to use ingredients that might do that,” added Pandhi, who said that the low calorie ice cream segment was projected to hit a billion dollars in sales within three years.
“The products that aren’t growing are the legacy brands, and although they are cleaning up their ingredients decks, consumers are still trending towards smaller authentic brands that have used natural ingredients from the beginning, especially millennials. In fact ice cream as a category under-indexes for millennials, but Arctic Zero over-indexes among this age group.”
Amit Pandhi, CEO, Arctic Zero
Ice cream as a category under-indexes for millennials, but Arctic Zero over-indexes among this age group
He added: “According to Nielsen, products in the category that met the FDA definition of ‘healthy’ [which is being looked at again, but currently means they must also meet the definition of low-fat and low in sat fat] grew by 85% last year, and brands making free-from claims are also outpacing category growth.
“The products that aren’t growing are the legacy brands, and although they are cleaning up their ingredients decks, consumers are still trending towards smaller authentic brands that have used natural ingredients from the beginning, especially millennials. In fact ice cream as a category under-indexes for millennials, but Arctic Zero over-indexes among this age group.”
He added: “I think the better for you ice cream category is ripe for a resurgence, but retailers aren’t sure how to group these products … there’s not been a systemic approach to merchandising.”
Checkout the new line at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, booth #270