It’s come to our attention of late that a lot of schools are stocking the Berri Quelch brand of ice pops now and, honestly, you’d be forgiven for thinking they are a better alternative to Zooper Doopers.  Check out what’s written on the front of the packet:

  • images of fruit
  • 99% real fruit juice
  • no artificial flavours
  • 5-star health rating
  • no added sugar

It’s got all the right buzz words you want to see on the front of a packet, yeah?

SPOILER ALERT: Sorry to say, but in our opinion, these are not a better choice over Zooper Doopers (blog post HERE).

When you turn the packet over here’s what you’ll find in the ingredients:

Reconstituted Fruit Juices (Apple (93.2%), Grape (3.2%), Pear (1%), Orange (0.5%), Pineapple (0.5%), Passionfruit (0.3%), Mango(0.2%), Blackcurrant (0.1%), Colours (102, 110, 150d, 163), Flavours, Thickener (466), Preservatives (202, 211, 223), Food Acid (Citirc Acid).

So, what does all that mean?  Let’s break it down:

Reconstituted Fruit Juices

In order to get reconstituted fruit juice:

  1. The juice is squeezed from fruit via the usual juicing process.
  2. This juice then has as much water as possible removed from it under high heat.
  3. The juice concentrate is what remains (which is basically the fruit sugar syrup).
  4. This makes it shelf-stable to be transported to suppliers.
  5. When ready to be used, water is then added back to the juice concentrate and voila… you have reconstituted fruit juice!

Companies often do it this way because it is cheaper given that it makes the juice shelf-stable for transportation.

Unfortunately, and I’m sure it comes as no surprise, that reconstituted fruit juice does not contain the same nutritional benefit as freshly squeezed fruit juice.  The heating and reconstitution process destroys the beneficial enzymes in the juice for sufficient food metabolism and our immune systems.  The beneficial vitamin C found in fresh fruit is also significantly depleted.

Flavours

Hmmm, what exactly is this?  According to the EWG ‘how a food tastes is largely determined by the volatile chemicals in the food. Chemicals that give food a specific smell are extremely important because smell makes up 80 to 90 percent of the sense of taste. In processed food, this mixture of chemicals is called “flavour.”’ (2)

What are these ‘chemicals’?  We simply don’t know, and companies aren’t bound to reveal that to us either!

We contacted Berri Quelch to find out what ingredients ‘Flavours’ were made up from and here was their response:

Our flavours are formulated to give a food product a unique flavour and to maintain flavour consistency between different product batches or after recipe changes. Flavours are regulated under the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code – Standard 1.2.4 – Labelling of Ingredients. This standard requires the presence of flavours to be included in the ingredient list as ‘flavouring’ or ‘flavour’. They are not likely to be allergen causing and they are usually present in very tiny quantities, legally we are not required to specify the type of flavour other than their presence as “flavours”, flavours are usually ‘commercial-in-confidence’ as they form part of the recipe and stop our competitors copying our product recipe.

Wherever possible we use natural flavours. If product ingredients state they containing flavour or natural flavour, they would be not halal suitable as we use alcohol as a carrier for the flavours and our finished product contains less than 0.05% alcohol. We hope this information helps.

So, just to make it very clear – you have no idea (other than a teeny bit of alcohol) of what you are eating in these ice-pops!

Colours 102, 110, 150d and 163

Artificial colours are often tested on animals and are made by combining various aromatic hydrocarbons like toluene, xylene and benzene, which are obtained from the distillation of bituminous coal. Coal tars are also made from petroleum distillates.

To put it simply – artificial food colours are chemically produced and derived from petroleum, a crude oil product. Think gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt and tar.

(“sounds tasty…NOT!”)

The Southampton University conducted a study on six artificial food colourings 102, 104, 110, 122, 124 and 129.  It was concluded that when these colours are mixed with sodium benzoate (210-2180), a common preservative and one which is found in these ice-pops, it caused direct behavioural changes in children.

As a result of this, it has become mandatory in Europe for a warning label to be included on the packaging of all food that contains these artificial food colourings.  The warning label states that the consumption of the product “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”.  No such warning label applies in Australia or New Zealand.

But let’s break this down further:

Colour 102 (Tartrazine – Yellow)

Potential effects when in food:

  • Hyperactivity
  • Thyroid issues
  • Aggression
  • Headache/migraine
  • Asthmatics should avoid
  • Insomnia
  • Itching/rash
  • Hay fever like symptoms

Colour 110 (Sunset Yellow)

Potential effects when in food:

  • Suspected carcinogen
  • Allergies
  • Hyperactivity
  • Digestive issues
  • Skin rashes

Colour 150d (Caramel IV – Dark Brown to Black)

Potential effects when in food:

  • Asthmatics should avoid
  • Digestive issues
  • Prohibited in foods for infants
  • Corn allergy sufferers should avoid

Colour 163 (Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose)

Whilst this colour’s risk level is generally rated as safe for most people. It is prepared from wood pulp or cotton linters and chemically modified.

It is used as a stabiliser/thickener.  However, the potential effects when in food are:

  • Excess consumption can cause bloating, constipation and diarrhoea
  • Prohibited in foods for infants

Preservatives 201, 211 and 223

Preservatives are used in food to extend the shelf life of a product.  But at what cost to our health?  We spoke earlier about the reaction preservative 211 (sodium benzoate) has with artificial colours but what about just on their own.  Let’s take a look:

Potassium Sorbate – 201

Sorbates occur naturally in some fruits – true, so why are we worried about it? Well, it is the fact that it is synthesised and no longer in its natural form that concerns us. When food is 100% natural it contains a range of things – fibre, proteins, vitamins etc and our bodies can distinguish the difference between fake and real. The human body is good at processing real food, it is not so great at processing fake ingredients.

Potassium sorbate is a widely used preservative. It is added to food to inhibit the growth of moulds and yeasts that can cause foods to spoil. It is highly soluble, very cheap and easily produced making it a popular choice for many food companies.

Potential effects when in food:

  • Allergic reactions
  • Hay fever like symptoms
  • Asthmatics should avoid
  • Headache
  • Hyperactivity
  • Prohibited in food for infants
  • Skin irritation
  • Digestive issues

Sodium Benzoate – 211

Benzoates occur naturally in lots of berries, vegetables, pepper, herbs, spices, peppermint and honey, but just like above, it is the synthetic versions that are of concern to us.

Sodium benzoate is a synthetic chemical produced when benzoic acid is combined with sodium hydroxide.

Potential effects when in food:

  • May damage DNA cells
  • Asthmatics should avoid
  • Headache
  • Hyperactivity
  • Prohibited in food for infants
  • Skin irritation
  • Digestive issues

What is even more horrifying is that when sodium benzoate is mixed with citric acid, as it is in the ingredients for this product, it has the potential to create the chemical compound benzene, which is a known carcinogen.  In our opinion, these two ingredients need to stop being put together just to make sure this doesn’t happen.

Sodium Metabisulphite – 223

Sodium Metabisulphite is used as a food preservative and disinfectant. When it is dissolved in cold water it forms sulphur dioxide gas, which is why it should be avoided by asthmatics or anyone with respiratory issues. It is used to inhibit the growth of mould and bacteria on all surfaces it comes into contact with.

Potential effects when in food:

  • Asthmatics should avoid
  • Hay fever like symptoms
  • Harmful to aquatic organisms
  • Prohibited for food in infants
  • Damage to the immune system
  • Skin irritation
  • Digestive issues

Citric Acid

For the most part, this is fine.  The Environmental Working Group (EWG) classifies this as ‘not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful’ and a ‘low human health priority’ (1).

How can you avoid this?

There are other brands on the market which are derived from natural sources (such as Proud & Punch).  But we advise to always keep an eye out for the ingredient’s panels because companies can change their ingredients without us knowing.

Better still, make your own.  It’s so easy to buy ice-pop moulds or ice-cream moulds and blend up some fruit with water and freeze them.  Treat foods don’t have to be hard at all!

Want to know more?

If you want to know more about all sorts of additives and preservatives and what they all mean, check out our signature e-program Additive-Free Made Easy and register for our next round.  So far, we have helped thousands of families to switch to an additive-free lifestyle simply and easily.  We cannot stress enough how important it is to learn the information you need to know to become your own ingredient inspector.  This knowledge is so empowering and will set you up for a lifetime of better choices that your health and the health of your loved ones will thank you for.

 

Don’t shoot the messenger

Sorry guys, I’m sure you were hoping for a better outcome with the Quelch brand.

Jo & Tracey x