‘What am I actually eating here?’: Breyers is facing absolute chaos after consumers discovered their beloved ice cream is something else entirely

Breyers is facing major scrutiny online after a viral TikTok video exposed that some of its popular frozen treats aren’t actually labeled as “ice cream” at all, but as “frozen dairy dessert.” If you’ve noticed that your usual pint doesn’t taste quite right or seems to melt differently, you’re definitely not alone.

The recent controversy was ignited by TikTok user Trisha Fenimore, who shared a video that quickly racked up over two million views. Fenimore showed two packages of Breyers frozen dessert and asked the important question we’ve all been wondering, “Does anybody know what’s happened to Breyers Ice Cream? That it’s no longer ice cream?”

According to Fenimore, she and her husband were trying to figure out why the frozen treat she bought “tastes so terrible.” After checking the packaging carefully, the answer became clear. She noted that the word “ice cream” was missing entirely from the container.

If it’s not ice cream, then what is it really?

Fenimore described the flavor and texture as strange. She specifically called the taste “metallic-y” and claimed that eating the dessert left “a film all around my mouth and on my tongue.” That sounds genuinely unpleasant, and honestly, if my dessert left a film on my tongue, I’d be asking the same thing she did: “What am I actually eating here? Because it sure is not ice cream.”

So, what is the deal? Is Breyers trying to pull a fast one? The truth is that Breyers offers two distinct categories of products: classic ice cream and frozen dairy dessert.

It all comes down to the Food and Drug Administration or FDA rules. The FDA has specific standards that a product must meet to be legally called “ice cream.” Some of Breyers’ core flavors, like Homemade Vanilla, Chocolate, and Natural Strawberry, actually meet those standards. You can find those specific items labeled correctly as “ice cream” on store shelves.

However, the company also sells “frozen dairy desserts,” and this has been going on for at least a decade. Breyers, through its parent company Unilever, says these desserts are designed to be a smoother, lower-calorie, and lower-fat option for consumers.

A spokeswoman for Unilever explained that these products are different. She told The Dispatch, “Like ice cream, frozen dairy desserts are also made with fresh milk, cream and sugar but are not light enough to be called light ice cream nor have enough fat to be called ice cream.”

Unsurprisingly, many commenters online are not happy about the state of the American freezer aisle. One user declared that “Capitalism turned our ice cream into bioengineered chemical products.” Another commenter offered a strong suggestion to consumers, advising them to “Stop buying it, force these companies to go back to Real Food or Go out of business.”

Many feel that the quality of food has noticeably worsened in the last few years. This checks out with our recent reports, where consumers spotted aluminum in Pillsbury biscuits and found ammonia stench in ground beef.

The reality is that if you want true, FDA-defined ice cream, you just have to check the label carefully. You can’t assume the brand name means the product is what you think it is.