The Mystery Behind Grape Ice Cream

Introduction

Poor grape, the loneliest flavor in the kitchen. Though there are many products where grape flavoring can be welcome, such as juices, sodas, popsicles, and (of course) the actual fruit, the one place you’ll rarely find grape is in your ice cream.

The Absence of Grape Ice Cream

While numerous conspiracy theories have emerged regarding the scarce presence of grape in ice cream, the underlying reason is simpler than many might think.

The prevalent concept on the Internet suggests that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned grape ice cream due to pet-related hazards. The story goes that Ben & Jerry’s crafted a delicious grape ice cream that a customer shared with their dog, leading to the dog’s unfortunate demise. This incident supposedly prompted the FDA to prohibit the sale of grape-flavored ice cream.

However, this rumor has been debunked by various humor sites, and Snopes.com has effectively dispelled the myth regarding the FDA’s involvement in grape ice cream regulations. It is worth noting that products like chocolate, which are also harmful to pets, remain widely available.

The Real Reason Explained

In a conversation with Thrillist, Sean Greenwood from Ben & Jerry’s clarified the matter. He noted, “Making ice cream at home, you can get fruit like grapes pretty close to a puree, but when you are using fruit as a base on a large scale, that’s when you run into problems.” Essentially, grapes have a high water content which can result in undesirable ice chunks when mass-produced.

Interestingly, other fruits with similar water content, such as cherries, are successfully incorporated into ice cream flavors. For example, Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia continues to be popular despite the product’s consistency challenges.

Greenwood further explained that grape flavor simply hasn’t gained traction, stating, “Most people don’t even associate grape with ice cream.” Therefore, the market has yet to embrace it, leading to a lack of demand.

Alternative Grape Flavors Available

While grape ice cream may not be a staple, small ice cream shops that pride themselves on unique flavors have created small batches of grape ice cream for their clientele. For instance, New York City’s Il Laboratorio del Gelato offers four different grape sorbet varieties—concord, black, green, and red—effectively providing a grape experience for those curious about this elusive flavor.

Consequently, even without FDA regulation, it seems we’ll still be waiting a while before we see grape ice cream populating the freezer sections of grocery stores.