Magnum ice creams in China not made with fresh milk, manufacturer Unilever admits after internet outrage
- In China, the company uses a combination of milk powder and water while using concentrated milk in its European-produced magnums
- The ice cream brand is immensely popular in China, the product’s largest market
Ice cream giant Unilever has admitted to using powdered milk in Magnum ice creams in China while using real milk in products sent to other markets such as Europe, after a month of intense online speculation.
Xinhua reported sales of Magnums in China have been surging by more than 20 per cent annually for the past few years making the country the ice cream’s biggest market in the world.
Unilever has been under fire for the last month after internet users revealed the company’s lower standards for Chinese consumers of Magnums, one of the most popular ice creams in China.
“In the past, I liked to eat Magnum. After seeing this news, I feel speechless. I won’t buy it any more,” posted one outraged Magnum lover on Baidu.
“I think this incident reminds us that in future, we should look at ice creams’ ingredients, rather than only focusing on flavours,” another user said on the website.
The company uses a combination of milk powder and water in Magnums produced in China while using concentrated milk and water in its European product, Zeng Xiwen, global vice-president of Unilever said on a business news programme on CCTV on Thursday.